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The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
DESCRIPTION:The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is a museum-like facility with galleries that are open to the public two days a week. Through changing exhibitions, world-renowned architecture and innovative programming, the Pulitzer serves as a place of both experimentation and reflection for artists, scholars, students and the general public. A priority continues to be participation in the renewal of the Grand Center district of St. Louis and a strong commitment to the growth of the arts community. Exhibitions at the Pulitzer rotate approximately every six months. Each strongly relates the art to the architecture, instead of emphasizing an art historical narration or presenting works from a specific collection. A personal experience with the artwork is a key aspect of the visit; therefore there are no labels to detract from an immediate aesthetic experience. For further information on the works, free brochures are provided at the front desk. Additionally, the Pulitzer’s website features online catalogues, which provide expansive information about each exhibition at the Pulitzer and allows visitors to interactively explore the galleries. The Pulitzer also engages in a variety of programming that directly relates to the exhibition on view. This includes academic symposia, panel discussions, and a variety of student docent initiatives and events. Additionally, the Pulitzer is engaged in an ongoing collaborative chamber concert series with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, which provides a unique and intimate way to experience music, art and architecture. Concert programs are chosen based on their relationship to the artworks exhibited.
ADDRESS: 3716 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108
LOCATION: Grand Center Arts and Entertainment District
PHONE NUMBER: 314-754-1848
WEB SITE: www.pulitzerarts.org
GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-64/40 West to the Grand Boulevard exit. Go north on Grand a few blocks to Washington Boulevard. Turn left (west) and proceed to The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, which is on the south side of Washington at before Spring Avenue.
HOURS: Noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday
ADMISSION: Free
SIGNIFICANCE: The building that houses The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is very important architecturally. It is the first non-residential building in the United States designed by Tadao Ando, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect who is considered one of the most important architects in the last 50 years.
The building, with its unusual concrete exterior, is said to be a work of art much as the paintings and sculptures hanging on the walls inside. Some experts say the building is one of the top concrete buildings in the country, if not the world.
In fact, it has been heralded as one of the most important buildings not only in St. Louis but also in America. "New Yorker" magazine called it the most important building in St. Louis since the Wainwright Building. The Wainwright Building, an early skyscraper, was completed in 1891.
The actual construction of the Pulitzer building was considered a challenge because of the unforgiving nature of as-cast concrete and the Foundation's attention to detail in every aspect of the design and construction process.
The construction was also considered unusual because artists Ellsworth Kelly and Richard Serra, who were commissioned to design permanent works for The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, were in a constant dialogue with the architect while the building was being designed and created. The result is the art was designed for the space, and the space was designed for the art.
The interior of the building is light and airy with large windows overlooking a reflecting pool. The architect's goal was to achieve a place where contemporary art could be enjoyed in a serene, peaceful environment. To create that atmosphere, there is little on the walls to detract from the artwork.
HISTORY: Following a showing of some pieces from their private collection at the Saint Louis Art Museum in the late 1980s, Emily Rauh Pulitzer and her husband, the late Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, decided they wanted a place where they and others could display items from their personal collections for visitors to see.
Initially, the Pulitzers wanted to convert an existing building near where the Foundation is now located into a facility to display their art. They selected noted Japanese architect Tadao Ando to design the conversion. But before the project got off the ground, Mr. Pulitzer became ill and died.
After Mr. Pulitzer's death in 1993 and following another trip to Japan to view Ando's buildings, Mrs. Pulitzer realized they had given Ando the wrong project; she decided to commission him to design a new, free-standing building instead of converting the existing structure. Mrs. Pulitzer acquired the property at 3716 Washington, and work on the project was started in late 1996. The facility opened in October 2001.
The Pulitzer has since evolved into an arts institution that does not house the private Pulitzer collection. Instead, the Pulitzer features changing exhibitions that strongly relate to the architecture of the building. The exhibitions consist of artworks on loan from institutions around the world.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- A water courtyard separates the building's two wings.
- Gallery areas include an entrance gallery, a main gallery and two end galleries.
- The building has an interior mezzanine and an exterior mezzanine that features a pygmy bamboo garden and great views of "Joe," a Serra sculpture in the courtyard below.
- "Blue Black" a 28-foot tall wall sculpture by Ellsworth Kelly which hangs on the south wall of the main gallery, was commissioned specifically for the building. The piece looks like a painting but it is a wall sculpture in aluminum, an example of Kelly's fondness for blurring the lines between painting and sculpture and relief.
- Views of the water court vary depending on the time of the day. Ando is known for incorporating natural elements in his design and here the light combines with the water interacting with the wind. As the wind hits the water and moves it, the changing light is reflected in different ways at different times of the day.
"JOE": The centerpiece of the building's main courtyard is "Joe," a dramatic Richard Serra sculpture commissioned by The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts and named for Mr. Pulitzer.
A large, torqued spiral of weathering steel, "Joe" invites viewers to enter a passage between towering, sloping walls, which culminate in a surprising central space where the piece frames the sky. The sides of the piece constantly shift as you walk through it creating an interesting perspective. From deep inside the piece, views of the buildings around are blocked and the only things the visitor can see are the spiral and the sky.
The piece, composed of five plates of Cor-ten steel, 13 feet high and 2 inches thick, each weighing 25 tons, was made in Germany. It was shipped across the Atlantic Ocean and then brought by barge up the Mississippi River to St. Louis.
"Joe" was created specifically for this outdoor installation, where its curving, continually evolving form contrasts with the smooth vertical surfaces of the Ando building. "Joe" is the first of Serra's torqued spiral series and follows his acclaimed series of torqued ellipses. The works were inspired by the artist's visit to the baroque church of San Carlo in Rome, with its oval dome by Francesco Borromini.
CATALOG: To coincide with the official opening of the building, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts has published a 64-page catalog on the facility. The 64-page book, titled "Abstractions in Space: Tadao Ando, Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Serra," focuses on the building and its commissioned artworks. It includes a forward by Emily Rauh Pulitzer and essays by Ando, Kelly, and Serra, an essay by architectural historian William Curtis and photos by Robert Pettus. It is available for purchase at The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts is handicapped accessible.
WHERE TO GET LUNCH:There are a number of restaurants throughout the Grand Center district and in the Central West End neighborhood, which is a short distance to the west.
WHAT'S NEARBY: Nearby, visitors will find The Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, the Fabulous Fox Theatre, the St. Louis University Museum of Art, the Grandel Theatre and the Black Repertory, Powell Symphony Hall, the Sheldon Concert Hall, the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art and the Vaughn Cultural Center.
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT:Rachel Gagnon, Public Relations Coordinator, 314-754-1861, rgagnon@pulitzerarts.org
Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com
