NewsGallery: RENZO PIANO'S NEW IMPRESSIONISTIC BUILDING: THE STEWART GARDNER ART MUSEUM

Photography © Nic Lehoux

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

By KAYLA TASCHEN
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Art Museum in Boston has recently gotten a new extension to complement the old. Back in 1903, art collector and philanthropist, Isabella Stewart Gardner built a museum designed after a 15th century Venetian palace called. Palazzo Babaro to house her developing collection. Her growing assemblage consisted of serious Renaissance masterpieces by Italian painters Titian and Botticelli, as well as by the Dutch painter Vermeer. Today, over more than a century later, Italian architect, Renzo Piano unveiled his addition and restoration to the museum.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Art Museum Boston from Robert Greim Productions

Photography © Nic Lehoux

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

"Just enjoy, just go around and you'll feel what I'm trying to say: It's light. It's almost impressionistic; and it was not about becoming bigger, but to save the palace forever." Indeed, this is exactly what Piano set out to accomplish: The new wing is juxtaposed at the rear of the museum, but does not attempt to compete with it; instead, it seeks to compliment it to show that a 15th century piece can play well with a 21 century design.

The height of the added wing does not surpass that of the original building. The new building is also made out of materials that simply freshens up the old, while putting the Renaissance style palace on a pedestal. "We have to make a new building apart from the old one, without stealing life from the old palace," said the award winning Italian architect.

Photography © Nic Lehoux

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Renzo Piano is from a very old Italian city called Genova (Genoa in English). He attended Politecnico di Milano, and later taught at the university. The 74 year old prolifically accomplished architect, is the winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, the AIA Gold Medal, and the Sonning Prize.

His firm, the Renzo Piano Building Workshop has offices stationed in Genova, Paris and New York. A few of his firm's most celebrated and famous works are the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Parco della Musica in Rome, and the Shard London Bridge. Have a watch at the video (featured above) to learn more about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, as well as a look selection of images of the new Renzo Piano building (pictured below).