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The original bequest stipulated that an architect of international repute should design the building; committee from the university chose New York architect Philip Johnson.
With its graceful balance, arched porticoes and slender columns, the building design is reminiscent of ancient Greek temples and signals a transition from the International Style of architecture pioneered in the United States by Mies van der Rohe. The Italian marble travertine was quarried from the plains near Rome and moved in blocks to the Henraux Marble Laboratorio where it was cut to fit the puzzle design Johnson had inscribed on the back of each block. The pieces were cut so precisely that metal clips rather than mortar hold them in place. The large concave discs in the ceiling of the Great Hall are covered in gold leaf to provide added elegance as well as contrast to the marble surfaces. The relatively small gallery spaces are designed to provide an intimate encounter with the artworks shown, and to create distinction from the expansiveness presented in the Great Hall. Building groundbreaking began on January 21, 1961 and the museum was later dedicated in 1963.
Additional buildings by Johnson include the Mark Rothko Chapel in Texas, the Museum of Modern Art Annex East Wing and Garden Wing in New York City, New York, Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas and several notable others.
For more information on the Sheldon Museum of Art building, visit:
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