Partial reprint Albright-Knox Art Gallery   By Martha Neri Explore Buffalo, "The Compass," August 2019 Have you ever really looked at a building? Noted the shape and placement of the windows, become aware of structural patterns or noted the prominent exterior details that told you about itself? Try this with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The two sections of the building, the original 1905 Albright wing and the 1962 Knox addition, are as different as day and night but in this case white and black. They are, however, still harmonious. Edward B. Green, 1855-1950, a major American architect, was a man of strong convictions who believed passionately in the dignity and power of history. He designed the original building as a permanent structure for the Pan-American Exposition to be held in Buffalo in 1901. In 1900, the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy entered into an agreement that stated the land would always belong to the city. The building(s) and their contents would always belong to the Fine Arts Academy. The Greek-revival design was most appropriate for an art museum at the turn of the 20th century. Like the Olmsted Park in which it was located, the gallery was truly open to and for the benefit of the public. The Art Gallery was to be open for the Pan-Am Exposition but delays in its construction caused it to remain uncompleted until 1905. When it finally opened, May 31, 1905, it was named the Albright Art Gallery for its patron John J. Albright. The new building was characterized as “the finest example of pure Greek Architecture to be found in America.” The very hard close-grained white marble on the exterior, the sculpture court and the enrances to the rooms came from quarries near Baltimore, Maryland. When the gallery was completed it represented the ultimate level in museum design. Green was highly skilled in the classical style and employed the use of “paired opposites” to achieve a harmonious work. Examples of paired opposites are: whole/parts; circle/ square; light/ dark; rough/smooth; soft/hard; thick/thin and also projections/recessions.On the facade, look at the white columns on the left and right side of the central group columns. Directly behind them are black rectangular areas. This is an example of paired opposites. Gordon Bunshaft took this idea and reiterated it in his 1962 addition. The classical style of the Art Gallery was very popular but by the 1950s the collection had grown and the needs of the gallery demanded an additional building located on the grounds. There would be a problem, however, creating an addition that was harmonious with the original building. Gordon Bunshaft, 1909-1990, a Buffalonian and graduate of Lafayette High School, was a partner in the New York architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. His design really was harmonious. It won prestigious awards but to the average person driving by on Elmwood Ave they thought the big black box that Bunshaft designed looked awful. It was as different as white and black or as different as a wedding cake and a plain cookie. Not only that, but the beautiful staircase on west side was walled up. A new entrance was created in between the new and the old section. The new addition is in “the International Style, characterized by its use of modern materials that enabled large buildings to be constructed with a strong skeleton covered by a light exterior skin, valued simplicity, flexibility and regularity in design” (John Douglas Sanford, AKAG Guest Curator, 1962). Personally, that definition is meaningless. But if I look closely I see that there are many similarities to the 1905 building. The new section has some of the same parts as the old building but they are made of aluminum and glass. Look at the 10 panels of black glass that are separated by thin columns of silvery-white aluminum. Cleverly, Bunshaft had them reflect the columns from the 1905 building. Again, here are examples of paired opposites: black/white; thin/thick columns; smooth/rough. “Bunshaft’s addition to the Gallery works because it both separates and combines the old and the new in a balanced relationship.” (John Douglas Sanford) “The two distinct parts of the Gallery evoke the periods in which they were built yet, through their individual visions of timeless design, combine to form a unified whole . . . . . the architects Green and Bunshaft have achieved a lasting demonstration of their appreciation of the role of the art museum in the community and, in particular, the continuing importance of the Gallery, the site, and the Park to people in Buffalo.” - John Douglas Sanford, Guest Curator, The Gallery Architects: Edward B. Green and Gordon Bunshaft, 1987, The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy

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