Move over, Mr Getty

This new museum in Mexico looks a little mind-blowing.

Can't wait to visit.

Hard to tell on just two small photos.

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

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Hard to tell on just two small photos.

One of which has a strong resemblance to a distorted bathroom floor.

Hexagon tile overload.

Vomit. This building is a goddamn abortion. It's really one of the shittiest pieces of architecture I've ever seen. From the architect's website:

Museum buildings tend to opt for maximum functionality, in which case they are basically boxes or containers for art; or they are conceived as iconic buildings that represent a city at a particular historic moment. The Museo Soumaya, however, was conceived as a sculptural building that is unique and contemporary, yet serves to house a collection of international paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects dating from the fourteenth century to the present.

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If you translate that from bullshit to English it reads, "I wanted to make a really badass, futuristic-looking shape to impress the people that are too stupid to realize how pointless is." Why the **** would you cover five stories of stacked galleries with an opaque aluminum facade? The galleries don't get natural light that way, so you have to view Rodin under purple lights. Purple lights! The top level has a skylight, but it's still so ******* dark it takes 80 fluorescent light tubes to just read the nameplate. The garage of your average NAPA Auto Parts store has better art-viewing characteristics.

What do you think about Calatrava's Milwaukee Museum of Art?

It's like a bad, terribly ripped-off version of the Guggenheim (NYC). I agree with StephenHero (for the first and probably only time) that viewing a Rodin under purple lights is un-*******-acceptable, even if there is a good chance that its not a real Rodin and was made after his death.

Originally Posted by Britalian

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This new museum in Mexico looks a little mind-blowing.
I really thought it would be difficult for me to see a museum that I disliked more than the Experience Music Project.

And now, here is one. Absolutely horrendous.

Originally Posted by StephenHero

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Vomit. This building is a goddamn abortion. It's really one of the shittiest pieces of architecture I've ever seen.
I agree. I haven't seen it in person, but this building looks like a complete failure on almost every level. Barragan must be rolling over in his grave.

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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What do you think about Calatrava's Milwaukee Museum of Art?
There is no comparison between that building and this one. Opinions on the Pavilion may vary, but that building works well, and is a good addition to the adjacent Saarinen building, in my opinion.

This museum looks like a complete abomination on so many levels.

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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It's like a bad, terribly ripped-off version of the Guggenheim (NYC).
That's really unfair to the GMNY. The only similarity I see is the word "piece".
The Guggenheim is a masterpiece; this building is a *************.

nice aquarium

Originally Posted by mordecai

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nice aquarium



And nuke-powered at that!

Originally Posted by venessian

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That's really unfair to the GMNY. The only similarity I see is the word "piece".
The Guggenheim is a masterpiece; this building is a *************.

LOL. Poor Frank Lloyd Wright...

Originally Posted by venessian

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There is no comparison between that building and this one. Opinions on the Pavilion may vary, but that building works well, and is a good addition to the adjacent Saarinen building, in my opinion.
I think it's a masterpiece too and Calatrava is my favorite architect, but it seems completely non-functional. All the art is in the Saarinen building, which also has no natural light. With the Soumaya, other than the purple light Rodin, I don't actually see anything wrong with it. There aren't many photos to judge from.

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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I think it's a masterpiece too and Calatrava is my favorite architect, but it seems completely non-functional. All the art is in the Saarinen building, which also has no natural light.
Non-functional in what way?

I think there is a lot of confusion over the Calatrava building, because people call it the "Milwaukee Art Museum" and it is obviously now the "face"of the museum. However, it was never intended to be the "museum". All the art is still housed in the Saarinen "War Memorial" and the David Kahler addition, because that was the program all along. The Calatrava "Quadracci Pavilion" was intended to give the museum a more public identity and, more importantly, serve as the grand entrance and house primarily public spaces, all of which it does very well.

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

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With the Soumaya, other than the purple light Rodin, I don't actually see anything wrong with it. There aren't many photos to judge from.

There are other photos of the Museo Soumaya, in construction primarily, but some finished, on Google. In context, without having seen it in person, it looks really bad to me. It looks completely lost, has a very strange scale, a very forced form, little or no relationship to its neighbors, and the little (if any) public space around it looks straight out of Brasilia, abysmal....

That little black hole, there at the end of the stair-ramp? Apparently, that's the main entrance....

Originally Posted by venessian

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I think there is a lot of confusion over the Calatrava building, because people call it the "Milwaukee Art Museum" and it is obviously now the "face"of the museum. However, it was never intended to be the "museum". All the art is still housed in the Saarinen "War Memorial" and the David Kahler addition, because that was the program all along. The Calatrava "Quadracci Pavilion" was intended to give the museum a more public identity and, more importantly, serve as the grand entrance and house primarily public spaces, all of which it does very well.
I see. It just seems like a huge waste of money to build what is just a big lobby. Really, I think it could qualify as a folly. Looks great, sure.

Originally Posted by venessian

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There are other photos of the Museo Soumaya, in construction primarily, but some finished, on Google. In context, without having seen it in person, it looks really bad to me. It looks completely lost, has a very strange scale, a very forced form, little or no relationship to its neighbors, and the little (if any) public space around it looks straight out of Brasilia, abysmal....
Those photos look good to me. I also like what I've seen of Brasilia. I think a lot of what you said could apply to the New York Guggenheim, and I like that a lot as well. I'll tell you what I don't like (and what this museum looks better than), Daniel Libeskind.

Looks like this guy's head (from Robocop):