The Denver Art Museum’s modernistic new wing has attracted nearly 400,000 visitors since opening last October, pumping new excitement into the city’s cultural scene.
Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the building features a metallic triangular form with interlocking rectangles – a remarkable sight to behold, especially against an evening backdrop of city lights.
By and large, the museum has enjoyed appreciative reviews and good crowds, but the galleries have been less busy than expected. The first-year projection of a million visitors is now running at about 750,000.
The DAM is now being forced to cut its budget by 10 percent, with reductions in staff size. That’s disappointing, but we hope the unexpected belt-tightening will accelerate the museum’s evolution to a healthy long-term effort to realize its arts mission.
Museum planners developed a remarkable $110 million building, turning to Libeskind for a space with sharp angles and unconventional spaces. But the artwork inside seemed to take a back seat. Rather than enhancing its opening year with a grand inaugural exhibit, the new Frederic C. Hamilton wing has relied on works from the DAM’s permanent collection, ranging from Western to modern and contemporary, Indian and African.
While the collection is impressive, a world-class exhibit will give the new museum the attention and crowds it deserves. Special exhibits draw attention to all of a museum’s facets and beckon visitors to return time and again.
That’s not to say that the Hamilton wing isn’t itself a notable lure for art lovers. It has received and earned its share of acclaim. In the long run, it will be judged as a showcase for its galleries and exhibits.
Museum officials told us before the October opening that its first special exhibit would arrive about a year after the opening. Indeed, this October, the museum’s first major exhibit will feature masterworks from the Louvre in Paris, followed in spring 2008 with a major exhibit of impressionism from collections around the world, including the National Gallery in London and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. These special exhibits will punctuate the inspiration of the new DAM building, and visitors will revel in world-renowned art that is worthy of the DAM’s architectural investment – and complements its permanent collection.
Museum officials attribute the smaller opening audiences to a snowy winter and a natural downsizing after the Oct. 7 opening. Whatever the case, Denver has embraced a fascinating new art facility. Future special shows will add to the allure.
