Weisman Art Museum: Frank Gehry Designs the Building

The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum of the University of Minnesota stands like a beacon on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. The first art museum designed by Frank Gehry, the Weisman introduces the structural and sculptural qualities that would become the hallmarks of his later works, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. With an exterior that has been described as a shiny ice castle and an exploding tin can, and an interior that was declared by Herbert Muschamp of the New York Times to be "five of the most gorgeous galleries on earth," the Weisman boldly proclaims its creativity and artistic vision inside and out. An insightful essay by longtime museum director Lyndel King complements eighty photographs of the building, shot from every angle, to give an impressionistic and comprehensive view of this foundational Gehry project. Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Weisman is fully established as an art venue in the vibrant cultural community of the Twin Cities and as a milestone in the development of Gehry's revolutionary architectural style.