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The
Museum Building
Situated
on a hill at the edge of Cornell's arts quadrangle, the Herbert
F. Johnson Museum of Art commands an imposing view of Cayuga Lake,
Ithaca, and the surrounding countryside. This impressive structure
was designed by I. M. Pei, the great Chinese-American architect.
Completed in 1973, it was his second museum, before the East Wing
of the National Gallery, the West Wing of the Boston Museum of Fine
Arts, and the pyramid in the Louvre.
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is a brilliant synthesis of massive, closed forms, taking advantage
of the weight and "raw" surface qualities of specially prepared
concrete, on the one hand, and, on the other, a wonderful openness,
with many windows, skylights, and an open court, making the spectacular
views accessible to every visitor. The building has ten floors and
61,000 square feet. John L. Sullivan III, an architect on Pei's project
team for the Museum, has written an
essay on the design of this building. |
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The
Museum is named for its benefactor, the late Herbert Fisk Johnson,
Class of 1922, and was built on the site where Ezra Cornell is said
to have stood when he announced the intention to found a university.
Accredited
by the American Association of Museums, the Johnson Museum is climate-controlled
and fully accessible.
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