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Article: A New de Young: Herzog & de Meuron's copper-sheathed museum is a gift to San Francisco from thousands of private donors.(REPORT FROM SAN FRANCISCO I)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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After five years of construction and nearly a decade of haggling with various local interests, San Francisco's de Young museum reopened in mid-October in splendid quarters designed by the Basel-based firm of Herzog & de Meuron. At 293,000 square feet (84,000 of which are designated for exhibitions), the building doubles, on a smaller footprint, the space of the old de Young, deemed unsalvageable after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Although it belongs to the city, the new, $202-million structure was built by private funds raised largely by the chairman of the board of trustees, Diane B. Wilsey, following two failed bond issues in 1996 and 1998. Apart from the heavy ...