Rick Mather, architect for the latest VMFA expansion
An under-the-radar museum gets an under-the-radar expansion by an under-the-radar architect.
Considering the size, scope and importance of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ collection, it generally receives surprisingly little attention from the media outside of Virginia.
And considering the architectural importance of its recent expansion—the first major project in this country by American-born, London-based architect Rick Mather—the May 1 opening of the McGlothlin Wing garnered surprisingly scant mainstream media coverage (with one notable exception besides me, which I’ll link to tomorrow).
On the “Leisure & Arts” page of tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal (if all goes according to plan), I’ll shine a deserved spotlight on the VMFA’s and Mather’s achievements in a far-ranging project that’s still very much a work-in-progress. I’ll link to my review tonight once it’s up on the Web.
For now, here’s a teaser—an irreverent CultureGrrl Video of a museum not quite ready for its close-up. Its public opening occurred the day after I shot this hardhat-adorned video: