Olson Kundig

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin 

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Olson Kundig

ARCHITECTS
Olson Kundig

General Contractor
Shaw Construction

PROJECT TEAM
Jim Olson, FAIA, Design Principal; Kirsten R. Murray, FAIA, Managing Principal; Crystal Coleman, LEED® AP, Project Manager; Daniel Ralls, Project Architect; Naomi Mason, IIDA, LEED® AP, Interior Design; Bryan Berkas, Motomi Kudo-King, Clay Anderson, Misun Gerrick, Jarri Hasnain, Martha Rogers, Project Staff

PHOTOS
Alex Fradkin 

SIZE
25,000 Sqft - 100,000 Sqft

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Denver, CO, United States

TYPE
Cultural › Museum

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art is a two-story museum in the heart of Denver’s arts and cultural district, the Golden Triangle.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

Located across the street from the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum, the new 38,000-square-foot museum has a bold presence.

At the same time, it stays true to the intimate atmosphere for which Kirkland Museum is known, offering visitors an enhanced salon-like experience.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

Designed by architect Jim Olson, the new building highlights both the artistry and craft of Kirkland Museum’s internationally renowned decorative art collection and its singular collection of art by Colorado artists.

“Designing a new museum in Denver’s Golden Triangle near the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum is a great honor and a serious responsibility.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

My goal was to make an artistic statement that is uniquely appropriate to Kirkland Museum and inspired by its amazing collection.” ― Jim Olson, Design Principal

The museum is named for Colorado artist Vance Kirkland, whose historic studio building is part of the museum.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

Kirkland Museum’s collection comprises over 30,000 works, including the nation’s largest repository of Colorado art, and the International Decorative Art Collection, which is considered one of the most important design collections in North America.

The new museum has 65% more gallery space than the previous building, with a total of thirteen galleries.

While the elevations are calm and the layout is straightforward and easy to navigate, the materials cladding the exterior are full of energy.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

A key element of the design is a rich and vibrant façade inspired by the lively mix of art and craft in the collection.

Luminous terracotta bars in an array of yellow hues, punctuated with rectangular glass “baguettes” backed in gold, enliven the building’s public face, sparkling in the bright Colorado sunlight, recalling the energy of a Vance Kirkland painting.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

A series of vitrines mounted onto the exterior of the building also showcase select objects from the museum’s collection, extending the galleries to the neighboring sidewalks and streets.

Hand-crafted reddish glass “fins” delineating the museum entrance further enliven the façade.

The building itself becomes a sparkling jewel box that expresses the vibrant examples of artistry and design housed within.

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin


Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin
Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
©Alex Fradkin

Olson Kundig
T +1 206 6245670 F +1 206 6243730
Olson Kundig
159 S Jackson St # 600, Seattle, WA 98104, United States