Clyfford Still Museum by Allied Works, Denver
Dedicated solely to the work of leading American abstract expressionist Clyfford Still (1904-1980), this new Denver museum was designed by Portland-based Allied Works Architecture, headed up by director Brad Cloepfil.
The famously private artist exhibited extremely infrequently in his lifetime and, after his death, his collection was sealed off from public view until now. 'Our prior knowledge of Still was based on a small fraction of works that were in the public realm, a mere six percent of the artist's creative output,' says the Museum's director Dean Sobel.
The new Clyfford Still Museum proudly houses an impressive 94% of the artist's oeuvre, spanning his early works from the 1930s to his abstract paintings of the 1960s and 1970s, created after he famously ended his relationship with commercial galleries in 1951. The museum holds a whopping 2,400 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures donated by his wife Patricia Still.
Cloepfil designed the building as an intense and intimate environment for the visitor to experience Still's work. 'The building is conceived as a nearly geologic experience; one that firmly holds both visitor and art in spaces amplified by natural light,' he says.
Visitors enter Still's world in stages, walking from the street to the building, through a serene tree-filled landscaped garden. 'The sequence from city, to park, to building creates a ceremony of repose that prepares the visitor for a personal and very physical relationship with this incredibly important body of drawings and paintings,' Cloepfil explains.
The building appears dense and sculptural, incorporating two storeys of 'richly worked concrete'. It is, however, a light-filled haven, thanks to a partly perforated concrete ceiling, skylights and side openings. The exposed concrete galleries are intimate and calm, yet spacious.
Clyfford Still Museum includes no less than nine galleries, as well as a library, educational and archival resources, a conservation studio, and storage. The central double-height corridor also acts as an exhibition space, presenting information on the life of the artist.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
The freshly opened museum's first exhibition explores the artist's early approach to abstraction and includes plenty of must-sees, such as works that have never been shown to the public before, as well as the only three sculptures by Still in existence.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Alessandro Michele is Valentino’s new creative director
Former Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele is named the successor to Pierpaolo Piccioli at the Roman house
By Jack Moss Published
-
New Byredo store opens in London’s Covent Garden
Byredo has unveiled a new Covent Garden store, its second bricks-and-mortar destination in London
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Alternative Easter eggs: chocolate-free but cracking gifts and indulgences
The humble egg, Easter's favourite ingredient, celebrated in five alternative forms, from a picnic cutlery canteen to a fabulous foamy dessert
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
At the Hilbert Museum of California Art’s expanded home, art and architecture converge
The Hilbert Museum of California Art expands its home, courtesy of Los Angeles architecture studio Johnston Marklee
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Pearlman Cabin by John Lautner is an organic Californian mountain retreat
John Lautner’s midcentury Pearlman Cabin, tucked away in the Californian mountain resort of Idyllwild, is a striking example of organic architecture
By Mimi Zeiger Published
-
Albert Frey’s Aluminaire House is reborn in Palm Springs
Aluminaire House, designed by legendary modernist Albert Frey, has been reconstructed outside the Palm Springs Art Museum
By Michael Webb Published
-
Beverly Hills’ Carla Ridge is a modern home taking in expansive city views
Carla Ridge in Beverly Hills blends modernist architecture nods, with contemporary lines and varying textures which complement its views of the hillside, valley, and city
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Downtown LA’s Beaudry is a cityscape statement of modern luxury
Beaudry is a new Los Angeles residential skyscraper by Marmol Radziner that offers contemporary living, a sense of place, and earthy design
By Carole Dixon Published
-
The Houses at 8899 Beverly offer options, sustainability and modernist nods
The Houses at 8899 Beverly by Olson Kundig is a collection of sustainable townhouses framing a midcentury area landmark in the West Hollywood Design District
By Carole Dixon Published
-
This Walter S White house in Indio is given a new lease of life
This Walter S White house in Indio, California, has been redesigned for the 21st century by Sean Gaston
By Hadani Ditmars Published