Client: Blanton Museum of Art/UT Austin

Overview

Drawing from Romanesque and Cistercian religious architecture, Kelly designed this 2,715 square building with 33 mouth-blown colored glass windows structured into three unique designs: “tumbling squares,” “starburst,” and “color grid.” This luminous work provides viewers the opportunity to contemplate the transcendent qualities of light, color and form, motifs Kelly continually explored over the course of his life.

Goals

Kelly wanted to create an architectural structure which viewers can inhabit; a place where they can directly experience tangible manifestations of shape, light, and color. He hoped viewers would find peace and tranquility in his “secular chapel.”

Process

Our artisans in Munich worked closely with the artist, staying true to every aspect of his vision for the project. Kelly carefully crafted each window color. Mayer of Munich achieved his unique and gem- like palette by mixing multiple layers of glass.

Additional Information

In January 2015, Ellsworth Kelly gifted the Blanton a design concept for his most monumental work: the first and only building the artist designed, as well as the last project before his death in December 2015.