Once I had taken in the Kimbell, I strolled over to the Modern Museum of Art by Tadao Ando, completed in 2002. The museum is a series of 5 glass and concrete pavilions floating on a 1.5 acre pond.
Concrete cantilevered roof
As you approach the building Richard Serra’s Vortex, a tall swirling kaleidoscope of steel.
Richard Serra “Vortex” 2002
View inside Richard Serra’s “Vortex”
The modern entrance
The main entrance has an enormous cantilevered concrete entry with views onto the pond in the distance. Once inside, I was struck by the forty foot tall Y-shaped concrete columns that support the elegant roof and walls of glass reflecting in the water.
Hidden from view are clerestory windows that bring light into the galleries much like the skylights in the Kimbell but on a much grander scale.
The permanent collection works on view included Anselm Kiefer’s Book with Wings and Martin Puryear’s Ladder for Booker T. Washington as well as Andy Warhol and Donald Judd to name a few.
Anselm Kiefer “Book with Wings” 1992-1994
Martin Puryear “Ladder for Booker T. Washington” 1996
Donald Judd “Untitled” 1967
The restaurant at The Modern is also a great place for lunch and the round pavilion floating on the lake offers the best views of Tadao Ando’s elegant building.
