The exhibition "Richard Meier: Building as Art" at the Arp Museum Rolandseck charts the career of the world-renowned American architect. Meier is perhaps most well-known for his museum designs, such as the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in 1995. The museum's south elevation is almost completely glazed, flooding the modernist-style museum with natural light - a Meier hallmark.
Douglas House is located on a sweeping slope on the edge of Lake Michigan in the US. Built from 1971-1973, the ultra-modernist house appears to hover among the trees. As with the majority of Meier's designs, the building is completely white - a combination of reinforced concrete and glass - allowing it to reflect the naturally changing colors of the seasons.
Encompassing administrative buildings, galleries, the Getty Research Institute, gardens and an azalea pool, the Getty Center in the Santa Monica Mountains in California was opened in 1997. Meier followed the natural ridge of hilltop, creating a complex of subterranean corridors and over-ground buildings filled with natural light. The hilltop location offers panoramic views of Los Angeles.
The Stadthaus in Ulm is an exhibition center and assembly hall which formed a key part of the urban regeneration project redeveloping Ulm's city center. Richard Meier's design for the building was selected in 1986, but construction work did not begin until 1991. An icon of modern architecture covering 3,600 square meters, the Stadthaus opened its doors to the public in 1993.
Another urban renewal project was the Jubilee Church is a church and community center in Tor Tre Teste in Rome. Meier described the building as "the crown jewel of the Archdiocese of Rome's Millenium Project." Completed in 2003, the dramatic curved construction was designed to stabilize the interior temperature and be energy efficient. Glass ceilings help flood the space with natural light.
The exhibition "Richard Meier: Building as Art" also includes handmade wooden design models, such as this prototype for the Arp Museum, made by Meier himself in the planning process. "My open and transparent architecture creates fluid passages from the interior to the exterior and reflects the same connection to nature which can be found in the work of Hans Arp," Meier said.
The Arp Museum opened in 2007. It is connected to the nearby train station via a tunnel. The modernist construction showcases the work of the French-German artist Hans Arp (1886-1966), as well as playing host to visual art exhibitions, classical music concerts, seminars and readings. Overlooking the Rhine River, the white museum includes polished concrete floors and skylights.
The Museum Frieder Burda in Baden Baden exemplifies Meier's modernist architectural ideals: crisp, white concrete and glass façades and fluid interior spaces filled with natural light. The majestic building opened in 2004 and houses the Frieder Burda collection of classical modern and contemporary art. As with many of Meier's works, the museum harmonizes in scale and color with its surroundings.
Construction work on Meier's world-famous Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt was completed in 1985. Encompassing spacious rooms filled with natural light, the design takes its cue from the classical proportions of the former museum villa. The exhibition on the work of Richard Meier runs at the Arp Museum Rolandseck through March 3, 2013.
The Arp Museum Rolandseck is celebrating its fifth birthday. A new exhibition celebrates the career of the museum's designer, the American star architect Richard Meier
The Arp Museum Rolandseck is celebrating its fifth birthday. A new exhibition celebrates the career of the museum's designer, the American star architect Richard Meier
