The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is an

art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily co ...

at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

. Founded in 1934 as University Gallery, the museum was originally housed in an upper floor of the university's

Northrop Auditorium Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium (commonly known as Northrop Auditorium or simply Northrop) is a performing arts venue at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is named in honor of Cyrus Northrop, the university's second presi ...

. In 1993, the museum moved to its current building, designed by the Canadian-born American architect

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

, and renamed in honor of art collector and philanthropist Frederick R. Weisman. Widely known as a "modern art museum," its 20,000+ acquisitions include large collections of

Marsden Hartley Marsden Hartley (January 4, 1877 – September 2, 1943) was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist. Hartley developed his painting abilities by observing Cubist artists in Paris and Berlin. Early life and education Hartley was born ...

, Alfred Maurer,

Charles Biederman Charles Biederman, born Karel Joseph Biederman (1906–2004), was an American abstract artist who lived in Chicago, New York City, and Paris before settling in Red Wing, Minnesota. Biography Born in Cleveland in 1906 to Czech immigrant parents, ...

, Native American

Mimbres pottery Mogollon culture () is an archaeological culture of Native American peoples from Southern New Mexico and Arizona, Northern Sonora and Chihuahua, and Western Texas. The northern part of this region is Oasisamerica, while the southern span of the M ...

, and traditional Korean furniture.

Frederick R. Weisman

Frederick R. Weisman (April 27, 1912 – September 11, 1994) was a Minneapolis native who became well known as an art collector in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. In 1982 Weisman purchased an estate in the

Holmby Hills Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los Ang ...

area of Los Angeles that would serve as a showcase for his personal collection of 20th-century art. When he opened the art collection to the public, he wanted to share the experience of ''living'' with art, rather than the usual, more formal protocol of seeing art in a gallery or museum. The estate remains the home of the

Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation The Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation is a non-profit arts foundation located on North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles, California. Modern and contemporary artwork in the Frederick R. Weisman collection are displayed ...

to this day. The Weisman Foundation estate is a two-story

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...

house designed in the late 1920s by Los Angeles architect Gordon B. Kaufmann. The Weisman home exhibits the fine craftsmanship characteristic of the period, including custom decorative treatments on the walls and ceilings. Today the foundation estate, annex, and surrounding gardens are made accessible to the public by appointment only. Another museum bearing Weisman's name, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, is located on the campus of

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

Museum building

The current museum building was designed by world-renowned architect

with MSR Design as architect of record and completed in November 1993. It is one of the major landmarks on the

campus, situated on a bluff overlooking the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

at the east end of the Washington Avenue Bridge. The abstract structure is considered highly significant because it was built prior to the widespread use of

computer aided design Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...

in architecture. The building presents two faces, depending on which side it is viewed from. To the south and east, it presents a brick facade that blends with the historic buildings along

Northrop Mall The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. T ...

. To the north and west, it is an abstraction of a fish and waterfall in curving and angular brushed steel sheets. The stainless steel skin was fabricated and installed by the A. Zahner Company, a frequent collaborator with Gehry's office. The museum received a major addition, also designed by Frank Gehry, in 2011. HGA Architects and Engineers served as local consultants for the project.

Gallery

File:Weisman-Art-Museum-2006-11-05.jpg, A closeup of the

-designed building File:Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum (15188332393).jpg, Main entrance File:Maurer, Standing Female Nude.jpg, Alfred Maurer's ''Standing Female Nude'' (1927-1928) is part of the museum's collection

References

External links

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Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum records
University Archives, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities {{authority control Frank Gehry buildings Museums in Minneapolis Art museums and galleries in Minnesota University museums in Minnesota Modern art museums in the United States Contemporary crafts museums in the United States University of Minnesota Art museums established in 1993 Deconstructivism Expressionist architecture Postmodern architecture in the United States Art museums established in 1934 1934 establishments in Minnesota