With essays by James Cuno and Martha Thorne
In May 2005 the Art Institute of Chicago will break ground on a large addition designed by Renzo Piano. The new glass, steel, and limestone north wing will add a 21st-century architectural identity to a museum best known for its historic Michigan Avenue building. Its distinctive feature will be a luminous sunscreen, described by the architect as a "flying carpet," that will "float" above the actual roof and shelter the building and its immediate surroundings. Sure to become a new landmark in a city already known for its architecture, the addition will be Renzo Piano's largest museum commission to date, allowing him to develop themes on a grand scale.
This publication offers a unique look into the development of the project. An essay by director and president James Cuno discusses Renzo Piano's approach and explores how his hallmark motif of lightness—in terms of atmosphere and the quality of materials employed—will find clear expression in the new north wing. Curator Martha Thorne surveys Piano's recent museum architecture, which reveals an awareness of setting and surroundings and an interest in filtering and directing natural light for the enhancement of art objects. Illustrated with over 45 color sketches, plans, renderings, models, and photographs of previous commissions, this book is a foretaste of the magnificent building to come and a tribute to one of the world's great living architects.
Coming May 2005
52 pages and 5 vellum inserts; 50 color illustrations
Softcover $11.95 ISBN 0-86559-219-5
Order online from The Art Institute Museum Shop or call 1-800-905-8537 now.
This book is available to booksellers at wholesale prices from D.A.P.
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