Buffalo AKG Art Museum Opening Brings New Energy To The City
After more than three years of closure, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum – formerly known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery – has reopened. The museum’s incredible $230 million renovation and expansion is a transformational one in more than just its powerful rename. It brings new energy to a city beginning to rediscover its own brand of cool.
Buffalo AKG Art Museum
The centerpiece of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum is the new Jeffery E Gundlach building, which adds significant new gallery space to the museum.
Jeffery E Gundlach Building
The new Jeffrey E Gundlach building offers incredible gallery spaces filled with natural light. A top-floor gallery dedicated to Marisol currently displays an incredible collection of paintings by Anselm Keifer.
Buffalo Views
The new Jeffrey E Gundlach building also offers stunning views of the museum’s other buildings and front lawn. Catch a glimpse of the Burchfield Penney Art Center across the street and The Richardson Hotel on the historic Richardson Olmstead Campus just beyond.
New Light
There is an exciting indoor space for sculptures on the west side of the building, offering gorgeous natural light to illuminate the collection.
A Diverse Collection
Everything from photography to sculpture and mixed media works of art is on display in the exciting new gallery spaces of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
New Connections
The incredible mix of works on display means that even visitors without a background in art can enjoy a visit to the museum and find something to connect with.
Much-Needed Gallery Space
The addition of new spaces means that much more of the museum’s permanent exhibit can be shown at once. The renovation and new construction added more than 30,000 square feet of display space to the institution.
Inaugural Exhibits
The first exhibits on display in the new Jeffrey E. Gundlach building are evocative and inspiring to show off the best of the collection. While the new building adds over 30,000 additional square feet of gallery space to the museum, the institution’s permanent collection is so extensive that just a small portion of it is on display at any one time.
New Architectural Features
One of the impressive new features of the museum is the John J. Albright bridge connecting the new Jeffrey E. Gundlach building to the original Wilmers Building, dating to 1905.
Light-Filled Design
The spiral staircase at the entrance of the Jeffrey E. Gundlach building is another one of the museum’s incredible architectural highlights.
Town Square
Another stunning addition to the museum is the new Town Square space. It is covered by an inspired glass structure called Common Sky, imagined by Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann from Studio Other Spaces.
Sculpture Court
The sculpture court in the original Wilmers Building is one of the long-beloved spots in the museum. Covered with glass, it houses large-scale masterpieces and provides a spot for rest and reflection. The natural light in the space illuminates sculptures and paintings alike.
Abstraction
Cathleen Chaffee, the chief curator at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, has said that abstraction is at the heart of the museum’s collection. However, the diversity of modern works on display means it’s easy to find something to connect with.
An Impressive Collection
First-time visitors may be surprised to see the caliber of art found throughout the museum. Display spaces contain the works of artists whose names everyone will recognize, from Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol to Frida Kahlo and Jackson Pollock.
Andy Warhol
Perhaps one of the most recognizable works in the collection is Andy Warhol’s 100 Cans, depicting the iconic cans of Campbell’s Soup that appear in much of his work.
Jackson Pollock
One of the museum’s most famous pieces, Convergence, created in 1952 by Jackson Pollack, is a must-see when visiting the museum.
Locally-Inspired
Niagara, by Frank C. Moore, is another fan favorite and must-see piece in this Buffalo institution.
Space for Reflection
New spaces for reflection and inspiration invite everyone to enjoy Buffalo’s most important institution of the arts.
LEGO Foundation Collaboration
Part of the museum’s redesign sought to make the institution more accessible even to those who might not consider themselves museum-goers. A new partnership with the LEGO Foundation in the museum’s Creative Commons space offers hands-on experiences with art in a space for kids and kids at heart, ages five and up, to enjoy.
Saying Hello to Old Friends
The reopening of the museum has been particularly meaningful for Buffalo locals after a long, multi-year closure. Locals say that seeing the institution’s most recognizable works of art on display again was like revisiting old friends.
Clyfford Still
The first-floor exhibit in the Jeffery E. Gundlach building plays homage to Clyfford Still, an artist with a long and important connection to the institution.
Homage to History
All 31 of the museum’s works by the artist are on display in this monumental exhibit. It feels like the perfect way to inaugurate this new chapter in the history of the museum and the history of the city.
A New Chapter
Whether you’ve long considered these gallery spaces along Buffalo’s Delaware Park as a second home or you’ve never visited an art museum in your life, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum is for you. Its radical transformation is just a part of an exciting new chapter in the history of the City of Good Neighbors.