The Blanton Museum of Art building project, Modern Texas architecture images, USA property
The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas
July 17, 2024
Architects: Snøhetta
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Photos by Casey Dunn
The Blanton Museum of Art, USA
The Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, has just completed a multi-year, $35 million renovation of its sprawling 200,000 square foot grounds by Snøhetta. The Museum announced the grounds renovations in 2021, and though the site was never closed to the public during works, they have just now come to completion.
Snøhetta was brought on by the museum director, Simone Wicha, who over her 10+ years leadership has transformed the Blanton into a leading US Museum, working closely with Ellsworth Kelly and his husband to construct Austin (the only building ever designed by the artist), establishing a curatorial position for Latino Art and pushing for a thought-provoking program of exhibitions tackling urgent themes–from climate change and jobs artists are forced to do to pay their bills, to Native American identity.
For Wicha, it was a top priority to create a cohesive and creative museum environment – inside and out – where people could gather, be inspired, enjoy art, and linger. She also sought to connect the museum’s two buildings and Austin with the city at large.
Snøhetta’s design provides a monumental entrance to the museum that unifies and revitalizes all the existing elements. The centerpiece of the new grounds is a series of petal-shaped sculptures rising 40 feet tall, which were informed by the arches of the loggia that run along the museum.
They create a shaded microclimate dappled with light and protected from Texas’s extreme heat, while also acting as giant rain catchers, capturing water and filtering it down through the column to an underground filtration system.
These structures are completed by walkways and gardens, where more than 25,000 new plants have been added – 95% of which are native to the state, like the dwarf palmetto, Texas gold columbine, and Cherokee sedge.
The new design beautifully connects the Blanton’s campus, highlighting site-specific art installations like Kelly’s Austin, Carmen Herrera’s mural – her only major public commission and largest piece – and Bill Fontana’s sound art.
This renovation exemplifies the Blanton’s evolution, and it goes hand in hand with the city’s quick growth into a major tech hub thanks to the influx of Silicon Valley giants like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Tesla, which moved their businesses there looking for lower taxes.
Photography: Casey Dunn
The Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas images / information received 170724 from Snøhetta architects studio
Architecture: Snøhetta – https://www.snohetta.com/
Location: Austin, Texas, United States of America
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