Artwork 'Austin' gets an entrance worthy of those seeking its splendor
2
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In art, as in life, how you make an entrance leaves an impression.
This had become a problem at the front of the chapel-like building known as 'Austin', the gem of the Blanton Museum of Art's collection.
The building on the University of Texas campus is the only one ever designed by the celebrated artist Ellsworth Kelly, attracting nearly 69,000 visitors through its doors last year alone.
But those visitors were having trouble getting in.
"The doors were just too heavy, and they weren't functioning properly," said the museum's Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs Carter Foster. "They have to be able to open mechanically."
One door in particular wouldn't budge, prompting a redo. However, when dealing with artwork considered a masterpiece, the seemingly simple fix of replacing the doors became a meticulous exercise.
The two 400-pound doors were originally crafted from a live oak tree on campus. After two months off, a more than $100,000 upgrade, and a total closure of the building, the new doors are a much lighter veneer made to look older than they are.
"It just took a long time because they were heavy," Foster said. "They were heavy, and there had to be an understanding that they would function properly."
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin (Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Foundation)
The building first opened in 2018, two years after Kelly's death, and well after he first dreamed of the concept. Originally planned in the late 1980s for a California vineyard, UT raised $23 million dollars to bring the project to Austin instead.
Visitors often remark that the inside of the 2,715-square-foot building feels bigger than the outside, and can't help but notice the similarities to a church, including a wooden structure opposite the front doors that's reminiscent of a large cross.
"It was definitely meant to be a spiritual experience," Foster said. "Ellsworth Kelly was himself was not religious, specifically Christian, but he was very influenced by Judeo-Christian traditions of architecture, so there's a nod to those in this building."
Those nods also include the stonework on cathedrals, stained glass, and a monstrance, a pattern Kelly first sketched decades before it came to life.
Ellsworth Kelly, Study for Stained Glass Window, West Wall, Chapel, with Dimensions, 1987. Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin. Gift of the artist and Jack Shear, 2018. (Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Studio)
Ellsworth Kelly, Austin, 2015, Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin. (Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly Foundation)
His presence is still felt, with awe-inspiring light coming in through colorful glass that shimmers on the walls and floor.
"I love to watch people come in the building for the first time and experience sort of the dance of color and light that plays inside," Foster said.
Even for those returning to see the artwork again, the impression is always different. Thanks to Kelly's emphasis on the sun's light, visitors see something new depending on the season and time of day.
Last week the doors reopened to 'Austin,' complete with an entrance worthy of those seeking its splendor. The Blanton saw record attendance in 2024, including almost 69,000 visitors to Kelly's 'Austin.' The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday with free admission on Tuesdays.