Architecture Around the World

East Wing - National Gallery of Art
On the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, Washington, DC

Erected:

1971-78

Architect :

I. M. Pei

Style:

Modernist
Building materials:
Exterior: Lavender-pink Tennessee marble.  Dust of this same marble was mixed with concrete to create the beautiful color of the interior walls.
See also:
Erik Bootsma, National Gallery East Wing Crumbling From Pei's Inflexibility  2009  (Online June 2014)



 
2002, 2004 Photos





Much of the structure’s elegance results from its extraordinary building materials, spare lines, and soaring forms.








A large triangular atrium is the dramatic focus of the building’s interior public space. A sculptural space frame covers the atrium and allows brilliant natural light to enter the building.






 a "space-frame" of glass pyramids. A screen of aluminum rods reduces the sunlight so that visitors' eyes adjust to the galleries, where dimmer light levels protect the works of art from fading. This space-frame roof also animates the interior by casting a changing pattern of shadows over the walls and the mobile Untitled, commissioned for this space from Alexander Calder.





































































Photos and their arrangement © 2014 Chuck LaChiusa
| ...Home Page ...| ..Buffalo Architecture Index...| ..Buffalo History Index....|.. E-Mail ...| ..

web site consulting by ingenious, inc.