The Clyfford Still Museum today unveiled the design for its future 31,500-square-foot home in Denver, scheduled to open to the public in 2010. Created by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, the design reflects the institution's mission to preserve, present, and celebrate the work of this legendary American artist. The building will provide intimate, architecturally compelling spaces for the study and enjoyment of the museum's extraordinary collection, which encompasses some 2,400 works spanning Clyfford Still's career and is one of the most comprehensive single-artist holdings in the world.
With groundbreaking expected to begin in early 2009, the Clyfford Still Museum will be the latest addition to Denver's burgeoning cultural landscape. Sited adjacent to the Denver Art Museum's new Frederic C. Hamilton Building, the museum will further enhance the cultural and architectural dialogue within the city's arts district.
"Brad Cloepfil has created a compelling design that reveals a deep understanding of our goals and collection needs as a single-artist institution," said Dean Sobel, director of the Clyfford Still Museum. "The museum will provide intimate spaces that shape visitor experience and encourage further engagement with the life and work of Clyfford Still, one of the greatest American painters of the twentieth century."
The two-story museum will accommodate a series of light-filled galleries on its upper level, designed specifically to display Still's work and to provide an optimal viewing experience for the visitor. Education facilities, including a library and archives as well as educational videos and interactive kiosks, will provide supplemental resources and detailed information about the life and work of Clyfford Still. In addition, glass walls will allow visitors access to view works in the museum's onsite conservation laboratory and storage area.
"It's an exciting moment for the City, as we move one step closer to the opening of the Clyfford Still Museum," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. "The design by Brad Cloepfil and Allied Works conveys respect for the artist and an understanding of his works. The Clyfford Still Museum will be a wonderful addition to Denver's rich cultural and architectural landscape. It will strengthen Denver's place as an international destination for everyone interested in twentieth-century art."