thumb|right|Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art

right|thumb|The Johnson Museum of Art, South elevation

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art ("The Johnson Museum") is an art museum located on the northwest corner of the Arts Quad on the main campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its collection includes two windows from Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House, and more than 40,000 other works in the permanent collection, which spans six millennia and encompasses art from most world cultures. It was designed by architect I.M. Pei and is known for its distinctive concrete facade.

History

President Deane Waldo Malott established the original University Art Museum in 1953. The A. D. White House was renovated to house Cornell's art collections. The current museum, constructed in 1973, is named after its primary benefactor, Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr., a Cornell Class of 1922 graduate, head of S.C. Johnson & Sons ("Johnson Wax"), and a former member of the university's board of trustees.

Architecture

The Johnson Museum of Art was designed by architect I.M. Pei. It can be characterized by its fifth floor, which cantilevers over the open aired sculpture garden. It was designed so that it would not block the view of Cayuga Lake, and offers a panoramic view of the same from its north and west sides. It also houses a room for meetings on the sixth floor, which was used for many years by Cornell's board of trustees.

The unique location of the museum presented several architectural challenges; building space was limited, and it could not overwhelm the view of Cayuga Lake or the nearby Arts Quad. Moreover, it would sit atop the knoll where Ezra Cornell chose the site for his university, at the north end of the Stone Row of McGraw, Morrill, and White Halls. The design sought to visually terminate the north end of Library Slope.

The building was awarded the American Institute of Architects Honor Award in 1975. The building's design also appeared on the cover of Scientific American as an early example of computer graphics.

Extension

In 2011, the museum opened renovated spaces and a 16,000-square-foot extension inspired by the original plans drawn up by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. The head architect was John L. Sullivan III, Cornell class of 1962. An outdoor Japanese garden was created outside the extension.

In 2015, Cornell filed a lawsuit against Pei Cobb Freed & Partners for "architectural malpractice," citing an "inherently flawed and materially defective" design of the new wing. Cornell claimed the addition was "fundamentally flawed" and resulted in over $1.1 million in damage costs.

Collections

The permanent collection consists of more than 35,000 works of art. Its fifth floor houses the museum's extensive Asian collection. The permanent collection also includes works from Africa, pre-Columbian America, and Oceania, representing many eras. The museum also hosts thematic tours for local school student field trips. The Johnson Museum Club is a Cornell student group that promotes awareness of the Johnson Museum's facilities and collections. It hosts concerts, scavenger hunts and other events.

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File:JohnsonMuseum1.jpg|Interior view of the Main Lobby.

File:JohnsonMuseum4.jpg|Another view of the Main Lobby.

File:JohnsonMuseum2.jpg|View of Ithaca from the fifth floor.

File:JohnsonMuseum3.jpg|View of the open porch.

File:JohnsonMuseum6.jpg|Interior of the Entrance Building.

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References

  • Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, official Cornell University website.
  • Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art Online Collection.