March 6, 2007, Lower Merion, PA - The Barnes Foundation announced today that it has
issued a request for qualifications to an extensive group of leading national and
international architecture firms. Architects will be selected based on design philosophy,
technical approach, organization, experience, innovation, creativity and sensitivity to the
goals of the Barnes Foundation.
The Foundation plans to review the responses in April, select a short list later in the spring
and announce its selection by August 1, 2007. Design will begin immediately, and the site
will be prepared from the end of 2007. Construction will start on completion of design work.
By relocating the gallery to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at the center of Philadelphia,
in the proximity of several other leading cultural institutions, the Foundation will be able
to ensure the long-term viability of one of the world's finest collections of Impressionist,
Post-Impressionist and early Modernist paintings. To remain true to its purpose and
character, the Foundation will replicate the scale, proportion and configuration of the
existing galleries in the new location.
The Board also announced the appointment of Martha Thorne, Executive Director of the Pritzker
Architecture Prize, to advise the Foundation during the process of selecting an architect to
build a new 120,000-square-foot facility in Center City Philadelphia.
Derek Gillman, the Foundation's Executive Director and President, commented that: "The Board
is delighted that Martha Thorne is working with the Barnes Foundation on its new Benjamin
Franklin Parkway building. She brings enormous knowledge of current architectural practice
across the world, and great sensitivity to the unique nature of this very important project."
In responding to the Board's appointment, Thorne said: "The new facility truly has the
potential to enhance the mission of the Barnes Foundation. I am delighted to be working
with the Foundation and its Building Committee as they embark on the process to select the
architect for this very important commission."
Throughout her career, Thorne has promoted an understanding of architecture through
publications, exhibitions, symposia and other activities. Prior to becoming Executive
Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, she was Associate Curator and Acting Department
Head of the Department of Architecture at The Art Institute of Chicago. She curated a number
of important exhibitions at the museum, including Unbuilt Chicago, Bilbao: The
Transformation of a City, and Modern Trains and Splendid Stations. Before Chicago,
she worked in Spain, producing exhibitions and publications for the Ministry of Public
Works and Transportation, as well as several other public institutions. She was a member
of the editorial board of Quaderns d'Arquitectura I Urbanisme, a respected journal published
in Barcelona.
Thorne is the co-author of the book Masterpieces of Chicago Architecture, editor of David
Adler: The Elements of Style, editor and author for The Pritzker Architecture Prize: The First
Twenty Years, co-editor of Skyscrapers: The New Millennium, and author of numerous articles
for architectural journals and encyclopedias. She also serves as a member of the Board of
Trustees of the Graham Foundation. Thorne received a Master of City Planning degree from
the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Affairs from the State
University of New York at Buffalo.
Thorne will advise the Building Committee, which includes Foundation Board members Aileen
Kennedy Roberts, chair of the Committee, the Honorable Jacqueline F. Allen, André F. Duggin,
Agnes Gund, Stephen J. Harmelin, Esq., Joseph Neubauer and Dr. Neil L. Rudenstine.
Professor Gary Hack, Dean and Paley Professor at the School of Design, at the University of
Pennsylvania, and Suzanne Stephens, architectural editor and critic, have accepted the
Committee's invitation to contribute to its discussions.
About the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation was established by Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to "promote the
advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts." Currently located
in a 12-acre arboretum, the Paul Cret-designed Gallery houses one of the world's
largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings,
with extensive holdings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Rousseau, Modigliani,
Soutine and de Chirico, as well as Old Master paintings, important examples of African
sculpture and Native American ceramics, American furniture and metalwork, and antiquities
from the Mediterranean region and Asia.
|
300 North Latch's Lane
![](images/"shim.gif"){kind=spacer}
