Denver Art Museum

I didn't know what to expect from the Denver Art Museum (hey - I'm from New York), but I was surprised and impressed. It has a recently opened wing designed by Daniel Libeskind that doubles the size of an already huge building. The galleries are large and spacious and the visitors few (compared to New York City), so visiting the museum is a pleasant and serene experience.

Although Libeskind's building doesn't necessarily blend cohesively with it's surroundings, it is dynamic and engaging. And Gio Ponti's 7-story castle-like North wing hardly sets an example for merging with the neighborhood, which is a mish-mash of architectural styles including the post modern Denver Central Library by Michael Graves and the neoclassical Civic Center Park with its Greek amphitheater.

The sharp angles of Libeskind's building are supposedly reminiscent of the nearby Rocky Mountains, and the sloping walls and angled plans of the galleries are meant to provide an "entirely new and exciting environment" to view artwork. It may not go quite that far, but I felt the galleries provided an excellent backdrop for the work on display.

They have a wonderful collection of Oceanic art that mixes pieces from the 18th and 19th century with the work of contemporary Oceanic artists working today. There is an interesting temporary exhibit on the airport architecture of Fentress Architects featuring Denver's own International Airport. I flew into this airport and I did love the translucent tented roof structure (also reminiscent of the Colorado Rockies). It is quite impressive viewed in the landscape, but when you get close to the building it is almost obscured by the boxy parking garages. Design Lab: Three Studios, another temporary exhibit with installations by members of Colorado's design community: DoubleButter, MATTER, and tres birds, featured some of the designers themselves working inside the exhibit - pretty cool. And I also enjoyed Open For Design: A DAM Community Challenge featuring submissions from anyone with an idea to transform an object or material into something that makes their neighborhood a better place.

There is so much I didn't see (and I didn't mention Garry Winogrand's photographs or What Is Modern?) that I will definitely come back some time in the future. Denver is lucky to have such an enriching and enlightening institution.