Cast among the McMansions of Potomac, Maryland – an affluent suburb of Washington DC – Glenstone is an improbable gem, a sprawling estate of 230 acres owned by art collector Mitchell Rales and his wife Emily. In 2006, the couple opened the grounds to visitors on an appointment-only basis, with the main attraction a modest gallery designed by the late Charles Gwathmey. As the Raleses added to their extensive holdings of contemporary and modern paintings and sculpture, their modest proto-museum was swiftly outgrown, and so they began casting around for ways to expand.
They undertook a worldwide search. ‘We looked at fifty museums', says Emily Rales, a trained art historian and curator. Finding themselves particularly inspired by Denmark’s Louisiana Museum and the Menil Collection in Houston, the Raleses proceeded to commission a new, $200-million facility from New York-based architect Thomas Phifer. The result, opening next month, is an extraordinary experiment in landscape, architecture and art, with almost 14,000 sq m of exhibition space set around a serene central courtyard.
Art, landscape and architecture merge through a series of pavilions.
‘We wanted to create an experience that was completely immersive', says Phifer, ‘so that when you see the art, you just go weak at the knees'. The designer achieved this effect through the use of highway-grade concrete slabs stacked into a series of vertical blockhouses, each containing a separate gallery featuring the work of artists as varied as Jackson Pollock, Lygia Pape and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Opting for a material palette that was ‘not too precious', Phifer was still able to give the surface a little life by allowing natural patinas to form on each individual slab, achieving a visual pattern the architect likens to ‘a mosaic'.
Complemented by lushly-planted hills and pathways from landscape firm Peter Walker and Partners, the new Glenstone is part of an emerging vanguard of privately-held museums for big-name collectors no longer content to gaze at their work in contemplative solitude. What this trend augurs for the future of the artworld is anyone’s guess – though Glenstone’s patron sees his own project as a bellwether that’s already proven its potential, with more to come. ‘This isn’t the beginning, and it’s not the end', says Mitchell Rales. ‘We’re somewhere in the middle'.
The complex is located a short drive from Washington DC in the suburb of Potomac.
Phifer's design is set around a serene central courtyard, green spaces and a water feature.
Art can be seen both inside and outside the building. Pictured here, a piece by Tony Smith.
Large openings keep the visitor visually connected to the surrounding greenery. Pictured here, circulation space and an art piece by Martin Puryear.
The new Glenstone's galleries offer a variety of work from the private collectors' treasure trove, such as this piece by Lygia Pape.
Exhibits include art by American sculptor Charles Ray.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Thomas Phifer and Partners
-
'Scent as the centrepiece of relaxation and creativity': Houseplant and Ripple Home launch incense collectionSeth Rogen's Houseplant and British aroma specialist Ripple Home launch a collection of four elevated micro aromas
-
Here’s what to order (and admire) at Carbone LondonNew York’s favourite, and buzziest, Italian restaurant arrives in the British capital, marking the brand’s first expansion into Europe
-
Griffin Frazen on conceiving the cinematic runway sets for New York label Khaite: ‘If people feel moved we’ve succeeded’The architectural designer – who helped conceive the sets for ‘The Brutalist’ – collaborates with his wife Catherine Holstein on the scenography for her Khaite runway shows, the latest of which took place in NYFW this past weekend
-
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Calder Gardens in PhiladelphiaThe new cultural landmark presents Alexander Calder’s work in dialogue with nature and architecture, alongside the release of Jacques Herzog’s 'Sketches & Notes'. Ellie Stathaki interviews Herzog about the project.
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
The best of California desert architecture, from midcentury gems to mirrored dwellingsWhile architecture has long employed strategies to cool buildings in arid environments, California desert architecture developed its own distinct identity –giving rise, notably, to a wave of iconic midcentury designs
-
A restored Eichler home is a peerless piece of West Coast midcentury modernismWe explore an Eichler home, and Californian developer Joseph Eichler’s legacy of design, as a fine example of his progressive house-building programme hits the market
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twiceSo transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
The Pagani Residences is the latest ultra-luxe automotive apartment tower to reach MiamiRising up above Miami, branded apartment buildings are having a renaissance, as everyone from hypercar builders to crystal makers seeks to have a towering structure bearing their name
-
A modern cabin in Minnesota serves as a contemporary creative retreat from the citySnow Kreilich Architects' modern cabin and studio for an artist on a lakeside plot in Minnesota was designed to spark creativity and provide a refuge from the rat race
