Sunday, July 18, 2004
The Guggenheim and Whitney Respond To Kimmelman
Fixing the Facade
To the Editor:
Michael Kimmelman refers to the "crumbling" facade of the Guggenheim Museum's "landmark Frank Lloyd Wright building." Indeed, from the time the building opened in 1959, the exterior has been plagued by cracks, compromising its aesthetic qualities and risking corrosion within its steel reinforcements. Happily, as was reported in The New York Times on June 10, the board chairman, Peter B. Lewis, and several other trustees have donated $20 million toward a complete restoration, which will begin next spring and will resolve these problems once and for all. As stewards of this great, but difficult, building, we fully recognize that it is, in Mr. Lewis's words, "the most important piece of art in our collection."
ANTHONY CALNEK
Manhattan
The writer is deputy director of communications and publishing for the Guggenheim Museum.
The City's Loss
To the Editor:
Michael Kimmelman's screed on a perceived crisis of identity at certain of the city's museums goes beyond the boundaries of objective and informed criticism. To come up with a laundry list of mostly faded news items and twisted innuendo is yellow journalism at its most destructive. Mr. Kimmelman is free to critique, but this borders on a messianic and willful attack on these institutions, at a time when they are recovering from 9/11 and starting to draw audiences at pre-9/11 levels.
Mr. Kimmelman's article has gravely harmed the city by undermining the environment, supported almost exclusively by the private sector and private donations, in which these institutions have operated. Ultimately it will be the city's loss.
RAYMOND J. LEARSY
Manhattan
The writer is a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
PermaLink | 6:55 AM |
|
To the Editor:
Michael Kimmelman refers to the "crumbling" facade of the Guggenheim Museum's "landmark Frank Lloyd Wright building." Indeed, from the time the building opened in 1959, the exterior has been plagued by cracks, compromising its aesthetic qualities and risking corrosion within its steel reinforcements. Happily, as was reported in The New York Times on June 10, the board chairman, Peter B. Lewis, and several other trustees have donated $20 million toward a complete restoration, which will begin next spring and will resolve these problems once and for all. As stewards of this great, but difficult, building, we fully recognize that it is, in Mr. Lewis's words, "the most important piece of art in our collection."
ANTHONY CALNEK
Manhattan
The writer is deputy director of communications and publishing for the Guggenheim Museum.
The City's Loss
To the Editor:
Michael Kimmelman's screed on a perceived crisis of identity at certain of the city's museums goes beyond the boundaries of objective and informed criticism. To come up with a laundry list of mostly faded news items and twisted innuendo is yellow journalism at its most destructive. Mr. Kimmelman is free to critique, but this borders on a messianic and willful attack on these institutions, at a time when they are recovering from 9/11 and starting to draw audiences at pre-9/11 levels.
Mr. Kimmelman's article has gravely harmed the city by undermining the environment, supported almost exclusively by the private sector and private donations, in which these institutions have operated. Ultimately it will be the city's loss.
RAYMOND J. LEARSY
Manhattan
The writer is a trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
PermaLink | 6:55 AM |
| 
