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The addition contains 10,000 square feet (about a quarter acre, or
two and a half times the size of a basketball court) and consists of two 70' x
36' galleries, two 36' x 36' galleries, a vestibule connecting the wing to the
existing Jetté Galleries and a storage area for works not on view. The
walls tower over visitors and end as they meet the steel joists that overgird
the entire space. Above loom the triangular skylights, offering "an evenly
distributed light, which in the daytime is diffused through the skylight
surface itself and at night by bouncing artificial light off the light wells,"
Katz said. From the vestibule, where the first cut-out greets visitors at the
threshold of the inaugural exhibition, to the outside edges of the galleries,
where Katz--the exhibition's curator--has hung some of his most stunning
portraits and landscapes, the Schupf wing pays tribute to Katz's work.
"Teas did a terrific job," Katz said. "He produced a physical space with a
rough elegance and simple materials--glass, steel, cement and wood. Everything
is itself and the spaces are perfect for my paintings."
Though ground was not broken until last year, the wing was in the works for
more than a decade. Katz, Schupf, Cotter, Museum of Art Director Hugh Gourley,
Katz's wife, Ada, and Linda Cotter began discussing the project in 1985, when
the museum exhibited Katz works owned by Schupf. Two years later, Katz sketched
a rough idea for the galleries. Eventually, his ideas were expanded by
internationally renowned architect Max Gordon and, after Gordon's death, by
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Katz says he conceived his art donation, which encompasses the scope of his
work over five decades, as "a kind of gift that holds a lot of exhibitions
within it." In addition to paintings, drawings and cut-outs, the artist donated
a complete set of his prints, as well as books, awards and materials from his
collaborations with choreographer Paul Taylor.
With his leading gift for the new galleries, Schupf helped make possible an
American rarity--an entire museum wing devoted to a living artist. The Paul J.
Schupf Wing enhances the reputation of an already highly regarded museum,
making it one of the top college museums in the nation. The wing and the art it
houses have attracted national atten-tion for Colby and the museum in such
venues as Condé Nast Traveler, The New York Times, Art
and Antiques and Elle Decor. In addition to money for the new wing
and his service as a trustee, Schupf also has contributed funds to Colby for
the Paul J. Schupf Computational Center, the current residence hall
construction project and other efforts.
"The opening of the new wing is an extraordinary event in the history of the
museum," said Gourley. "It is because of the loyalty and generosity of people
such as Alex Katz and Paul Schupf that the museum has grown and flourished--and
will continue to do so in the future."
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