More than 33,000 works of fine art are housed inside The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Not usually on the list of places to visit if in search of Van Goghs and Monets, the collection is quite impressive. When the Beaux Art Nelson-Atkins Building opened in 1933, it was deemed as innovative and luxurious; especially as the country was in the midst of the Great Depression.
An international competition was held in 1999 to find the perfect architect to design the museum’s addition. Steven Holl won the honor and designed a light-filled museum possible due to advances in glass technology permitting most harmful UV rays to be blocked.
There is also a sense of humor at the museum. Currently, Philip Haas’s The Four Seasons is a unique outdoor exhibit of 15-foot sculptures as interpretations of Italian Renaissance painter, Giuseppe Archimboldo. As the title suggests, nature’s cycles are represented in botanical forms appropriate for the individual season.
Side-by-side, the modern Bloch Building and 1933’s Beaux Arts Building make a dynamic pair. The way in which the light filters off the buildings looks almost magical at dusk!
Image courtesy of: Holloway Travels
The light-filled interior within the Block Building is filled with interconnected translucent blocks that draw natural light into the galleries.
Image courtesy of: The New York Times
A 5-member crew from the United Kingdom installed four sculptures by Phillip Haas on the museum’s grounds. Smaller scale models of “The Four Seasons” can be viewed inside.
Image courtesy of: Kansas City. Photographed by Ken Sugg of The Kansas City Star
