Herzog & de Meuron to Design Alexander Calder Museum in Philadelphia

A new museum dedicated to Alexander Calder will be built on Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, adjacent to the Rodin Museum and the Barnes Foundation. The project is designed by Herzog & de Meuron and conceived as a "sanctuary" for Calder's work. Alexander S. C. Rower, president of the Calder Foundation and the artist's grandson, described the initiative as the first purpose-built space for Calder's art, comparing it to the Rothko Chapel. The museum will feature a "choreographed progression" of spaces and gardens, moving beyond a traditional museum visit. Construction is set to begin in early 2021, with further design details to be revealed in late summer 2020. The site is already linked to the Calder family: Alexander Milne Calder's statue tops City Hall, Alexander Stirling Calder's Swann Memorial Fountain is nearby, and Alexander Calder's monumental Mobile hangs in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.