Bechtler Museum of Modern Art facts for kids
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| Established | January 2, 2010 |
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| Location | 420 South Tryon Street Charlotte, North Carolina |
The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is a cool place in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's a museum that shows off modern art from the middle of the 1900s. The building is about 36,500 square feet (3,391 square meters) big! It's part of a new area called the Levine Center for the Arts in Uptown Charlotte. A famous architect named Mario Botta designed the museum building.
The museum is named after the Bechtler family. Andreas Bechtler, who lives in Charlotte and is from Switzerland, inherited and collected over 1,400 pieces of art. These artworks were made by important artists of the 20th century. The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art first opened its doors on January 2, 2010. The mayor of Charlotte at the time, Anthony Foxx, and Andreas Bechtler were both there for the opening.
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The Museum Building
The Bechtler Museum is only the second building in the United States designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta. He also designed the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. One of the most interesting parts of the four-story building is a tall glass area called an atrium. This atrium goes right through the middle of the museum. It lets natural light shine throughout the building, making it bright and open. You can even see different parts of the museum from the atrium!
Other cool features include a special skylight system on the roof. The outside of the building is covered in terra cotta, which is a type of baked clay. The most striking part of the building is the fourth-floor gallery. It sticks out from the main building, almost like it's floating. It's held up by a column that rises from the plaza below. Inside, Botta used materials like steel, glass, terra cotta, black granite, and wood. He even designed some of the furniture, like the front desk and benches.
The Art Collection
The Bechtler collection has many important art styles from the 20th century. It has a lot of art from the "School of Paris" after World War II. The collection includes modern art in different forms, like paintings and sculptures. You can see works by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Jean Tinguely, Barbara Hepworth, and Pablo Picasso. Many artists are shown through different types of their work. This helps you see how they explored certain ideas.
Special Art Focuses
The collection has some special areas it focuses on:
- Art from a European View
- The art in the Bechtler Museum mostly shows what the Bechtler family liked to collect. They were based in Zurich, Switzerland. They bought art from artists all over Europe, Britain, and America. But they chose pieces that fit their own personal taste.
- The School of Paris
- "School of Paris" is a term for modern art made in Europe after World War II. It often means art that uses different ways of showing abstract ideas. But it can also include art that shows people or objects in new ways.
- American and British Artists
- Besides European artists, the Bechtler collection also has many works by American and British artists. Sometimes, this was because the Bechtlers had personal friendships with them. For example, American artist Mark Tobey lived in Zurich, Switzerland, for many years. He knew the Bechtler family. A group of British artists also became friends with the Bechtlers. Ben Nicholson often spent his summers in Ascona, Switzerland. He even helped guide a young Andreas Bechtler in his art.
Before the museum opened, only a few of these amazing artworks had been shown in the United States. The Bechtler family in Switzerland kept the collection private until then.
The Firebird Sculpture
One of the most famous artworks at the museum is The Firebird. Its full name is Le Grand Oiseau de Feu sur l'Arche. It's a sculpture by a French-American artist named Niki de Saint Phalle. She finished it in 1991. The Firebird is very tall, about 17 feet, 5 inches (5.3 meters) high. It weighs about 1,433 pounds (650 kg). It's made of about 7,500 small mirror pieces placed over a polyester and steel frame.
Andreas Bechtler bought the sculpture in 2006. It was placed on the museum's plaza in October 2009. After some cleaning and care, it was shown to the public on November 3, 2009. Now, The Firebird is a permanent part of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art's collection.
The Bechtler Family and Their Art
Hans Bechtler said his brother Walter helped them get interested in modern art. In 1950, the brothers started visiting the Kunsthaus Zürich, an art museum. They often went to local art galleries, bought art, and made friends with artists. These early steps into the art world led Hans and his wife Bessie on a journey of almost 70 years. They collected an amazing amount of diverse art. They liked art that showed how the artist worked. So, they also bought drawings and other early sketches related to the artists' full works. The Bechtler brothers even put art in their workplaces. The family passed on their love for modern art and respect for artists to their children.
Andreas, the son of Hans and Bessie, grew up surrounded by artists. He became an artist himself and also a business owner. His businesses brought Andreas Bechtler to Charlotte, North Carolina. He decided to make Charlotte his permanent home. After he inherited some of his parents' large collection, and added his own art, Andreas decided to give the collection to the city of Charlotte.
See also
- Mint Museum of Art
- Mint Museum of Craft + Design
- North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
- Uptown Charlotte
- Charlotte metropolitan area
