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Vinoly to head expansion, renovation of Cleveland Museum of Art

Staff -- Interior Design, 2/20/2003 12:00:00 AM

The Cleveland Museum of Art has unveiled a major expansion and renovation designed by acclaimed architect Rafael Vinoly.

Vinoly's design features a soaring glass canopy that unifies the museum's campus with light-filled spaces throughout.

Overall, the museum's space will be increased by 43 percent. The expanded galleries will allow a greater percentage of the museum's collection to be on view and also provides larger, open spaces to feature the growing collectio of contemporary art.

Vinoly's design emphasizes the original axis of the museum growing from the heart of the original 1916 marble building. The two new curving wings to the east and west of the 1916 building restore the building's symmetry and feature translucent glass. The reorientation of the complex connects it to the surrounding Rockefeller Park.

"The museum's collectio has long been a source of pride for the Cleveland community," said Katharine Lee Reid, director. "With Vinoly's brilliant design, we will have a unified building with reconfigured galleries that will allow us to articulate the history of art compellingly with a strong focus on interpretation and bring art into people's lives in new and exciting ways."

The building project has been estimated at a cost of $225 million. It will be projected date for groundbreaking is 2004.

Vinoly has also worked on the Tokyo International Forum, Princeton University's Palmer Memorial Stadium, Samsung Cultural and Education Center in Seoul, and The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, among many others.

For information on the museum, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit www.ClevelandArt.org.