This weekend’s opening of the Frederic C. Hamilton wing of the Denver Art Museum will be a kaleidoscopic sensation: music, dance, performance art and demonstrations. The disciplines will be as varied as Asian calligraphy, martial arts and New Mexico carving.
Such a larger-than-life inauguration befits the stunning addition that promises to put the Denver Art Museum on the nation’s cultural map.
The $90.5 million, metal-skinned structure with its clashing angles is signature Libeskind – that is, Daniel Libeskind, the cutting-edge architect. His work has already provoked an outcry among some more traditionally oriented Denverites, but most will be happily mollified upon their first visit.
It’s important to recall that when the existing Denver Art Museum opened in 1971, many Denverites smacked hands to foreheads in dismay, describing the design by Italian architect Gio Ponti as resembling the ruins of a medieval fortress. But over time, that structure has become a fixture of the cityscape, beloved by many.
Bold, new designs such as the Hamilton wing are bound to provoke strong opinions. We had a chance to peek at the Hamilton recently with an enthusiastic preview crowd that seemed to flow naturally from exhibit to exhibit, embracing both the building and the collections. The Hamilton is as striking on the inside as out, offering engaging displays of some of the DAM’s most interesting work. (An artist’s rendition of a very pregnant Mona Lisa will seem particularly relevant to some of this weekend’s patrons.)
The new addition showcases the DAM’s African art collection, including older works by Olowe Ise and contemporary works by Moyo Ogundipe and Francis Nnaggenda. Representative examples of Western American art by such giants as George Catlin, Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell are featured in the Hamilton Building, as are modern and contemporary works by Herbert Bayer or Philip Gaston.
Set as it is near a gaggle of classic government buildings, the Hamilton might have been all but invisible had it been rendered in Greco-Roman or Renaissance Revival style. The last thing the city needs is an anonymous structure to serve as a showcase for the art museum’s impressive collection.
Centuries ago, merchants discovered that the way to attract customers was to hang out a sign. The Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton wing serves the function of getting people’s attention in a big way; our hope is that they’ll be enticed to investigate what’s inside. Viewed from that perspective, Libeskind’s design should be a resounding success.
Curators have ensured that the interior displays will make the museum’s art come alive. The Hamilton is full of surprises, and it is sure to serve for many as a reintroduction to Ponti’s building, which can more than hold its own.
