The Art of Museum Design

I think that the time has arrived when the buildings that house art often outstrip the original intention of displaying this very same art by self-aggrandizing themselves over that which they are required to shelter and nourish (“Art for Architecture’s Sake,” by Nicolai Ouroussoff, March 31). Tremendous beauty (and money spent), just like ugliness, can be a distraction.

And yet, so many of these buildings, even the upcoming LACMA-Rem Koolhaas destruction/renovation, are so visually wonderful on their own that it seems a pity there isn’t a place for them to reside solely on their own merit. Possibly they’d be more welcome as works of art themselves? That would be my suggestion: Have institutions construct architectural showcases, leaving them bereft of any of the conventional art we’ve come to expect when we visit museums, thereby freeing them of any competitive aspects. This would allow architects to design them internally and externally for people to experience and observe.

Let’s hang our conventional art in converted warehouses like the Geffen, which is so much more conducive to allowing a full appreciation of art by the viewer.

And while we’re at it, maybe LACMA could consider repainting the Japanese Pavilion some receptive color other than minty green, and possibly tearing down the May Co. building, retaining only the gold-colored structure on the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax, since we all know that’s the only worthwhile feature.

WILLIAM CRISWELL

Los Angeles

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As an employee of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (an institution that will open its new, $160-million facility in early 2003), I read with great interest Ouroussoff’s piece on the current spate of showy architecture among museums.

Some of us were concerned that our project--an adaptive reuse of San Francisco’s former main library led by Milanese architect Gae Aulenti (also responsible for Paris’ Musee d’Orsay)--might not get the attention we feel it deserves, mainly because it leaves the exterior of the 1917 Beaux Arts building relatively unchanged.

After reading Ouroussoff’s piece, I felt reassured that the museum’s wonderful new space will indeed be the ideal home for our internationally respected collection of Asian art.

TIM HALLMAN

San Francisco

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Whether a museum’s architecture should be subservient to its holdings is an issue on which I wouldn’t hazard a judgment. However, if one particular local museum were to proceed with a major replacement facility housed entirely beneath an air-cushioned translucent tent, the administrators had ought to be certain that they can rely upon a dependable system that will contend with dangerous weather.

There must be a fail-proof system that will intercept or prevent lightning bolts from slicing through the proposed inflatable roof, causing panic, destruction and death.

JOHN CRANDELL

Westwood

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Contrary to Ouroussoff’s assertions that architectural structures, such as the Getty, overwhelm their art collection or that “chaos is the root of creative thought,” creativity often has a sense of divine harmony--and this is the case with the Getty.

He fails to mention the Getty’s main strength: You are free to tailor the experience to what you want, to tour the collection at your own pace, according to your preferences and those of the people you’re with. You are not shepherded en masse, like sheep, forced to wait in long lines to see a Monet or the Dutch Masters.

The Getty experience is individualistic, and all for a mere five bucks. What the Getty may lack in terms of the quantity of its collection (it will never compare to New York’s Met) it certainly makes up for in terms of quality--it’s the best museum-going experience I’ve had in a long while.

ABRA D. NORTON

Marina del Rey