Clyfford Still Museum in Denver preserves artist's legacy with 3,182 works, valued over $1 billion
Opened in 2011, the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado, showcases 3,182 pieces by the Abstract Expressionist artist Clyfford Still. His will strictly forbids the exhibition of works by other artists, as well as the loaning, selling, or trading of his creations. The museum, designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture, is characterized by its textured concrete and abundant natural light. Originally from North Dakota, Still relocated to New York in the 1940s, where he earned acclaim from contemporaries such as Jackson Pollock and Clement Greenberg. He spent his later years in seclusion in Maryland until his passing in 1980. The Metropolitan Museum presented his first significant survey in 1979. Despite his influential role, only around 500 of his works have been displayed, with the collection valued at over $1 billion and never to be sold.
Key facts
- Clyfford Still Museum opened in Denver, Colorado in 2011
- The museum houses 3,182 works by Clyfford Still, with only about 500 exhibited so far
- Still's will prohibits loaning, selling, giving away, or exchanging any works
- The museum building was designed by Allied Works Architecture under Brad Cloepfil
- Clyfford Still died in 1980 after living in isolation in Maryland from the mid-1960s
- The Metropolitan Museum presented Still's first major survey in 1979
- Jackson Pollock said "Still makes the rest of us look academic"
- The collection is valued at over $1 billion but can never be sold
Entities
Artists
- Clyfford Still
- Jackson Pollock
- Mark Rothko
- Philip Guston
- Willem de Kooning
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Edward Hopper
Institutions
- Clyfford Still Museum
- Metropolitan Museum
- Denver Art Museum
- Allied Works Architecture
Locations
- Denver
- Colorado
- New York
- North Dakota
- Maryland