ABSTRACT
When starting on a building project, the New Museum of Contemporary Art
commissioned not only a space to show art but also a piece of art in its own right.
The final product by Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa, working as the company
SANAA, resembles seven silver boxes stacked on top of each other. The museum
used the building to generate conversation that highlighted the New Museum
and was successful in part because of the striking nature of the building. From
the beginning, the museum has hung art on the outside of the building through
its Façade Sculpture Program, which helps to draw curious visitors. For the New
Museum, the building is a tool to be used and modified; museum staff continue to
work with structural engineers and architects to modify the building as necessary
in order to solve the problem of ambitious installations, including the façade art
and other internal art as well.
