I'm surprised nobody's posted this:
Gehry's AGO will dazzle for the right reasons
Jun 18, 2007 04:30 AM
CHRISTOPHER HUME
Frank Gehry's return to Toronto also marks his return to architecture.
Though his $254 million remake of the Art Gallery of Ontario is a year from completion, already its virtues are apparent. In this case, they are not the usual Gehry qualities of spectacle and drama.
No one doubts his ability to produce buildings people talk about, but as is so often the case with architects – think Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York or Mies van der Rohe's New National Gallery in Berlin – Gehry's galleries have been great for everything but their intended purpose, displaying art. The best example may be his famous Bilbao Guggenheim, which, with the exception of Richard Serra's monumental steel sculptures, tends to overpower the exhibits. Of course, people don't go to Bilbao to look at art; they go to ogle the building, which amply rewards ogling.
By contrast, his renovation of the AGO is all about the experience of art. Though he has made no secret of his exasperation with Toronto conservatism, perhaps it turned out a blessing in disguise. Wandering through the construction site that is the AGO today, it's clear the new building's chief benefit will be what it does for the collection. Yes, there are the inevitable architectural flourishes, most obviously the spiral staircases that add a certain flourish inside and out.
But for the most part, the new AGO will comprise a series of fabulous spaces designed to enhance the objects on show. The most memorable will be the Galleria Italiana, the second-storey sculpture gallery that extends 150 metres along the front of the building on Dundas St.
It is, in a word, superb, even exciting. It will bring a sense of urbanity and connection to the AGO. Suddenly the building enters into a dialogue with its 19th-century neighbours and the city beyond. It will also be a marvellous light-filled room in which to view sculpture.
Interestingly, the same desire for connection can also be seen at the other Cultural Renaissance projects, most notably the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, the Royal Conservatory of Music (also unfinished), the Royal Ontario Museum and the University Ave. and Queen St. sides of the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre. Perhaps this can also be understood as an attempt to democratize institutions long viewed as elitist and aloof.
At the AGO, Gehry has also brought clarity to the interior. Standing in the new entrance, which has been moved further west on Dundas and lined up with Walker Court, the heart of the complex, one can see right through to the back of the building.
Speaking of Walker Court, it now has a glass roof, which means natural light. Likewise for many upper-level galleries where contemporary art will be displayed.
Gehry's most substantial contribution is the new "tower" at the back of the building overlooking Grange Park. This is the element that most angered neighbours, but it turns out to be the transformative space. The galleries here are large and ideally suited to the epic scale of contemporary art. And, again, there are magnificent views, in this case looking south to the bottom of the city and the lake.
This being the 21st century, the entrance level has been reconfigured to accommodate a restaurant, retail and meeting area. These operations are more important than ever to the gallery's financial well-being, and their prominence reflects that.
Inside, Gehry called for Douglas fir wherever possible, not just because it's Canadian but because it adds warmth and a level of comfort to the interior. Never will the AGO, and the gallery-going experience, have been more welcoming. We need no longer fear art.
Though much of the gallery has remained open during construction, the building will close Oct. 8 for final completion and installation.
Even if Gehry's AGO doesn't rank among the projects that change the world, its subtlety and quiet perfection mark it as a minor masterpiece.
Source: TheStar.com
