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By William Shakespeare
RICHARD MEIER & PARTNERS ARCHITECTS LLP.
Pritzker-winning
architect Richard Meier
on the Getty Center,
his influences and the
beauty of white space
Encapsulating both the essence
and importance of Richard Meier
is a difficult task. With a career so
decorated, buildings so illustrious
and a personality so fascinating, I
found myself a bit blind in trying
to figure out where to start. But
with a body of work that captures
the various intersections of art,
design and architecture rather
masterfully, an effort in earnestly
profiling
Meier
was
worth
undertaking.
Meier garners acclaim from
critics, colleagues and patrons
alike for his notable structural
clarity, use of light and space and
his uncompromising persistence
for the color white. Minimal,
bare and — by consequence —
subtly provocative artscapes are
a signature of Meier’s, reflected
in works such as the Barcelona
Museum of Contemporary Art,
Darien, Conn.’s Smith House and
Rome’s grand Jubilee Church
(something Meier himself boasts
as being the “crown jewel” of the
Catholic
Church’s
millennium
celebration).
Though a maven in the world
of architecture, Meier not only
fashions himself an architect,
but an industrial designer and
abstract artist as well. While he
has works that have long become
unwavering urban fixtures, one
can also find Meier’s work in art
galleries the world over or as
consumer products that reflect
his architectural philosophy in its
svelte, elegant glory.
Though a large contingent of
our readership may not consider
him a household name, Meier’s
design and architectural influences
span
continents,
manifesting
themselves both in buildings he
himself had a hand in creating or
in buildings tasked by the many
architects who have taken great
inspiration from him. Many of
them are buildings people are
bound to see at some point in their
lives, regardless of their familiarity
with Meier. Among his works, the
Getty Center reigns as one of the
most notable, celebrating its 20th
anniversary later this month.
Costing $1.3 billion (a far cry
from the original estimate of $100
million, but a cost that was well
within reason for J. Paul Getty’s
posthumous
fortune
to
bear),
the collection of travertine and
metal panel adorned buildings has
become one of Los Angeles’s and
the world’s most notable pieces of
architecture.
Perched atop a hill in the
Brentwood neighborhood of L.A.,
Meier took as audacious of an
approach in the Center’s design as
the project proposal itself. Utilizing
large concrete columns, towering
walls and a gridded layout, Meier
fashioned
the
center
through
stylistically minimal means that
simultaneously engender wonder
and
provocation.
Among
the
many components Meier used to
command the Center’s aura are
the various avant-garde fountains
that span the campus, meant to
maintain a consistent level of
peaceful white noise regardless
of where patrons walk or sit.
Wherever you walk, in the Getty
or any of Meier’s other works, his
attention to detail always glows.
Coined “the commission of the
century,” it’s a campus that, both
in its architectural significance
and contribution to the world of
fine arts, is more than worthy of
celebration,
especially
twenty
years on. The Center’s campus is
home to seminal institutions of the
art world (all on the virtue of the
Getty fortune, namely the J. Paul
Getty Museum, the J. Paul Getty
Trust and the Getty Foundation),
and Meier’s command over its
construction is befitting of his
own personal philosophies of
architecture.
In a phone interview with
The
Daily,
Meier
further
illuminated upon his five decades
of architectural inspiration and
design.
****
With
the
Getty
Center
turning 20 soon, what are
some memories you have when
selected to take on the project?
What was important to me was
considering where [the site] was,
how it related to its surroundings,
how
it
can
contribute
the
environment.
It
was
a
very
ambitious project.
Two decades on, do you
think there was something you
would have done differently in
designing the Getty?
Oh, no.
I can’t say I blame you. The
Getty is a favorite of mine.
Truth be told, there probably
has to be, but I honestly can’t think
of anything at the moment!
I think in the way the buildings
relate to one another, the way people
move — from inside to outside —
works very well. I think there’s a
lot of communication there, among
the staff and the patrons, and I’ve
had so many people come up to me
that have visited the Getty who’ve
said, “You know, I spent the whole
day there but I didn’t have time to
go into the museum.” So, it’s a place
to walk around and see things, and
hopefully meet friends and have
a bit of lunch and a place to just
generally enjoy the environment. I
think we succeeded in making such
a space.
On that note, speaking to your
work as a whole, what are some
important considerations for
you when tasked with designing
a building?
Well, I think the most important
thing is beginning with a program.
Someone comes to you and tells
you what their expectation is in
terms of what they envision — be it
a residential building, commercial,
a museum. But all that being said,
it’s the context that matters most,
really. What the building is, how it
relates to what’s around it, how it
can have arms — so to speak — that
reach out and improve the existing
context of the area.
Specifically with art spaces
— with you having designed
multiple museums — are there
particular
components
you
consider integral in designing
such spaces?
Oh, absolutely. Light is, of
course, paramount. The quality
of light, the way you see things in
natural light. One doesn’t really
aim to design a black box, so to
speak. You want something that
can have a relationship with
interior and exterior space, and
that generally holds true for any
building, but most definitely for an
art gallery as well.
When
designing
such
buildings, what’s your process in
generating ideas?
I look carefully at the program,
the environment, the context,
and try to think about how people
will use it, move through it and
internalize it.
Do
you
have
specific
architects you draw particular
influence from?
There are so many, to be
honest, people I admire, historic
and contemporary. Brunelleschi,
Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, Louis
Kahn. There are a lot of great, great
architects in the past, but that also
doesn’t change the fact that there a
lot of great people working today,
too.
On
the
note
of
such
contemporary architects, recent
pop
culture
has
seemingly
taken a liking to architecture
—
Kogonada’s
recent
film
“Columbus” comes to mind,
highlighting
Eero
Saarinen’s
work in Columbus, Ind. What are
your thoughts on architecture
becoming
better
embedded
within popular culture?
What it really means is that
now people are much more aware
of architecture, and much more
aware of their environment today.
They’re
interested
in
seeing
things, simply put. As people travel
more nowadays, it holds true.
They look at things. They look at
architecture. They’re interested
in seeing different places, how
their architecture in that place is
different than another place, and
what that could mean. It indicates
greater awareness.
As an abstract artist yourself,
do you find being an architect
in a similar light as being a
conventional “artist”?
I do paint, and I do collages quite
often. I would consider myself an
artist.
But in regards to architecture,
do your experiences in both
domains affect your thinking as
an architect? Or as an artist?
No, not at all. Actually, they’re
completely separate to me. When
I’m doing architecture, I’m doing
architecture. When I’m doing
works of art, considerations get
more abstract. Personally, there
is no correlation — I don’t think at
least. Someone else may find some,
as critics do, but I wouldn’t say
there is.
Would you say you have a sort
of cognisant philosophy when it
comes to your architecture?
Oh, yes. Definitely.
How would you describe it?
As an architect, you are creating
space, space people will be moving
through, space people will live
in. I think about the quality of
meaning of such space on people.
How natural aspects such as light
come into the space, enlivens the
space and what meaning can be
drawn from that. With all the
factors that come with thinking
about architecture, one’s approach
to creation is quite different than
what you may think about when
making a painting. One requires
less self-indulgence than the other.
With a lot of your work, the
color white is a persistent theme,
and I’m a personal fan of its use.
What draws you to it? What does
it mean to you?
White reflects color, refracts
color, allows you to see the
relationship between that which
is natural and that which is man-
made. It heightens your perception
of all the actual color, and beauty,
that surrounds you.
Were there any works that
were particular challenges for
you?
Funnily enough, the Getty.
There was a lot to consider in
making it. There is nothing like it.
What are your plans for the
coming years in terms of projects
(if you can divulge that)?
Hah, I wish I knew that.
Is the business of architecture
more short-term, or not terribly
easy to predict?
We’re very busy today, which
we’re very fortunate for. But a year
from now, who knows?
ARTIST
PROFILE
IN
ANAY KATYAL
Managing Arts Editor
PSIDIUM
ARTIST PROFILE
6B — Thursday, December 7, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com