Louis Kahn exhibit coming to the Kimbell

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas; constructed 1969--72

North portico with reflecting pool

Louis I. Kahn (1901--1974), architect

Photograph: Robert LaPrelle © 2013 Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth

Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture

March 26–June 25, 2017

On view in the Louis Kahn Building

Admission is free

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www.kimbellart.org

Louis Kahn, designer of the Kimbell Art Museum and one of the foremost American architects of the 20 th century, will be the subject of an exhibit in the building he designed beginning March 26 and running through June 25.

Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture celebrates the master know for creating building of archaic beauty and power. In addition to the Kimbell (1966–72), his most important works include the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California (1959–65), and the National Assembly Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh (1962–83). The exhibition Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture, organized by Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein, Germany), is the first major retrospective of Kahn’s work in two decades.

The exhibition will include an unprecedented and diverse range of architectural models, original drawings, photographs and films. All of Kahn’s important projects are extensively documented—-from his early urban planning concepts and single-family houses to monumental late works such as the Roosevelt Memorial in New York City (1973/74), posthumously completed in October 2012.

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Kahn’s architectural oeuvre will be augmented by a selection of watercolors, pastels and charcoal drawings created during his travels, which document his skill as an artist and illustrator. Highlights of the exhibition include a 12-foot-high model of the spectacular City Tower designed for Philadelphia (1952–57), as well as previously unpublished film footage shot by Nathanial Kahn, Louis Kahn’s son and director of the film My Architect. Interviews with architects such as Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Peter Zumthor and Sou Fujimoto will put Kahn’s work in perspective.

In addition to The Power of Architecture, the Kimbell Art Museum is the sole venue for a complementary exhibition, The Color of Light, The Treasury of Shadows: Pastels by Louis I. Kahn from the Collections of His Children. Admission to both special exhibitions is free.

“The Kimbell’s Kahn-designed building is acknowledged the world over as an architectural masterpiece,” said Eric M. Lee, director of the Kimbell Art Museum. “Visitors who come to this exhibition will get to know Kahn, the architect, and follow him on the thrilling journey that led to the vision for the Kimbell Art Museum.”

The exhibition is organized by Vitra Design Museum, Germany, in collaboration with the Architectural Archives of The University of Pennsylvania and the Netherlands Architecture Institute, part of the New Institute, Rotterdam. It is globally sponsored by Swarovski. Additional sponsorship support is provided by The Beck Group. Promotional support is provided by the American Airlines, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and NBC5.

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