In New York, the Foster Gallery Sperone Westwater has opened
Sperone Westwater Gallery celebrates the opening of a new building on New York's Bowery street with an inaugural exhibition by Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca. Nearly 35 years since its inception, Sperone Westwater continues to organize exhibitions of leading international artists working across a wide range of media. The new building was designed by the office of Foster + Partners, doubling the exhibition space and pioneering a new approach – the vertical configuration of the exhibition spaces.
One of the main themes of the project – responding to the compact 25 x 100 foot lot – is the "moving gallery" of 12 x 20 feet, which connects the four highest exhibition floors and allows visitors to freely walk between them. It is a striking element for the entire Bowery, visible from the street, whose subtle rhythm contrasts with the busy traffic outside. The exhibition space of any of the floors can be expanded as needed by the moving space, serviced by an additional elevator and a staircase offering an alternative access.
The gallery offers various exhibition spaces that differ in proportions and character. The design includes a double-height, 27-foot high exhibition space at street level, a mezzanine floor, a terrace designated for three-dimensional works, which opens up views into the park, and more intimate, private galleries on the fourth and fifth floors. A break on the sixth floor marks the location of the gallery's administrative offices.
Artwork will be stored primarily in the basement, while the library is located at the top of the building, underneath the technical facilities floor. The sandblasted glass façade, behind which lies the moving gallery, serves as a kind of dividing (dampening) zone that protects the building from extreme temperatures while also acoustically isolating the gallery.
"The concept of Sperone Westwater responds to both the dynamic urban character of Bowery and the desire to reinterpret the ways in which we perceive art through the configuration of the exhibition spaces. The moving gallery animates the exterior of the building and creates a distinct vertical element. As a kinetic addition to the street, it represents a living symbol of a new approach to space and a bold response to the main mission of Sperone Westwater. I hope that artists will be inspired by the new spatial and technical possibilities of the gallery."
One of the main themes of the project – responding to the compact 25 x 100 foot lot – is the "moving gallery" of 12 x 20 feet, which connects the four highest exhibition floors and allows visitors to freely walk between them. It is a striking element for the entire Bowery, visible from the street, whose subtle rhythm contrasts with the busy traffic outside. The exhibition space of any of the floors can be expanded as needed by the moving space, serviced by an additional elevator and a staircase offering an alternative access.
The gallery offers various exhibition spaces that differ in proportions and character. The design includes a double-height, 27-foot high exhibition space at street level, a mezzanine floor, a terrace designated for three-dimensional works, which opens up views into the park, and more intimate, private galleries on the fourth and fifth floors. A break on the sixth floor marks the location of the gallery's administrative offices.
Artwork will be stored primarily in the basement, while the library is located at the top of the building, underneath the technical facilities floor. The sandblasted glass façade, behind which lies the moving gallery, serves as a kind of dividing (dampening) zone that protects the building from extreme temperatures while also acoustically isolating the gallery.
"The concept of Sperone Westwater responds to both the dynamic urban character of Bowery and the desire to reinterpret the ways in which we perceive art through the configuration of the exhibition spaces. The moving gallery animates the exterior of the building and creates a distinct vertical element. As a kinetic addition to the street, it represents a living symbol of a new approach to space and a bold response to the main mission of Sperone Westwater. I hope that artists will be inspired by the new spatial and technical possibilities of the gallery."
Norman Foster
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