Art Knowledge News
Renowned British Architect David Chipperfield Restores Folkwang Museum in Essen |
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| Written by Dr. Klaus Feinglass |
| Monday, 16 November 2009 02:19 |
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The new exhibition areas bathed in natural light continue its architectural tradition. The creativity that has gone into the design of the rest of the building is evident, for example, in the magnificent open stairway that will lead from the Bismarckstrasse into the new entrance foyer, the latter designed as an open inner courtyard with a café and restaurant, complete with a museum bookshop, and shielded by a glass façade looking out onto the street. The Folkwang Museum owes its excellent international reputation to the outstanding collections of 19th century German and French paintings, Classical Modernism and post-war art. The photographic and graphic collections and the integrated German Poster Museum are also important components. Along with its large-scale public exhibitions, worthy of the international attention they attract, the museum's activities now focus primarily on contemporary art. David Chipperfield was born in London in 1953. After receiving his Diploma from the Architectural Association in London he worked at the practices of Douglas Stephen, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster and in 1984 established his own practice, David Chipperfield Architects. The practice currently has over 150 staff from 20 countries and offices in London, Berlin, Milan, and a representative office in Shanghai. In 1999, David Chipperfield was awarded the Tessenow Gold Medal and presented an exhibition with Tessenow Stipendiat and Spanish architect Andrés Jaque at the Hellerau Festspielhaus, Germany. In 2000 David Chipperfield represented Britain at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. In 2003 he was made Honorary Member of the Florence Academy of Art and Design and in 2004 he was awarded a CBE for services to architecture. In 2007, two of Chipperfield’s buildings (America's Cup Building and the Museum of Modern Literature) made the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist, with the Museum of Modern Literature winning.
In 2000 he was one of the architects to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale of Architecture. In 2004 was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to architecture, and was made Honorary Member of the Florence Academy of Art and Design in 2003. David Chipperfield has taught architecture in Europe and the United States, and has lectured extensively on the work of the practice. In addition David Chipperfield held the Mies van der Rohe Chair at the Escola Tècnica, in Barcelona, Spain. Chipperfield was the only British architect to be shortlisted for the commission to design Tate Modern. He designed the award-winning River and Rowing Museum in Henley-on-Thames using green oak cladding, concrete and glass. However, many of his buildings are abroad, especially in Japan and Germany. He has worked extensively in the United States, where in 2005, he completed the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, as well as the Central Public Library in Des Moines, Iowa, commissioned in 2001. Current projects include the Anchorage Museum Expansion in Anchorage, Alaska and four lake side villas at Bom Sucesso Design Resort, Portugal. He is a visiting professor at theUniversity of the Arts London(formerly London Institute). He has been on the Board of Trustees ofThe Architecture Foundation. Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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