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The Courtyard of the Museum is where the three buildings "come together" - so to speak. It's as if it is a collaborative work between Saarinen, Pei, and Meier.
There is a reflecting pool, in the middle of which stands a Carl Milles' piece, "Man and Pegasus." The Swedish artist Milles, born in 1875, was a colleague of Eliel Saarinen on the faculty at the Cranbrook Academy. Leave a Comment
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The Des Moines Arts Center continues to collect - and commission - new work. The Sculpture Garden in particular has continued to expand. It's a lovely place with flowers, tree, hills, and water. If I lived in Des Moines, I would certainly come here often.
This is a piece by Bruce Nauman called "Animal Pyramid." Leave a Comment
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The Des Moines Arts Center is highly unusual in that it consists of three separate buildings that nonetheless relate closely to each other, even those they were designed and constructed over a period of 40 years.
The three architects are Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier.
The Saarinen structure is the oldest of the three, dating from the mid 1940s. Saarinen was Finnish, but lived in the United State from the 1920s onward, teaching at the Cranbrook Academy outside Detroit. His design is the most "traditional" of the three - good functional spaces inside, but to me his building looks a lot like an elementary school.
The Des Moines Art Center also is quite well known for the strength of its collection of modern and contemporary art. There are a few pre-20th century pieces - a lovely Mary Cassatt, for example. But it was decided in the 1940s to concentrate almost exclusively upon collecting and displaying "recent" art - and they have some very fine 20th century things here as a result. (Sorry, Stachachach - they don't have any Picasso's here!) Leave a Comment
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The I.M. Pei structure was designed in the 1960s - before he discovered the wonders of glass. The use of concrete is somewhat ungainly from this viewpoint, but his section of the museum is well-proportioned, and the light in the galleries is very good. This part of the museum houses many "installations" from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s: pieces by Andy Warhol, Deborah Butterfield, Donald Judd, and Claus Oldenburg among them.
Ironically, the two pieces in the Art Center's collection that I _most_ wanted to see were not on display on the day of my visit. They both had been used in major international retrospectives: a great Edward Hopper canvas, "Automat," and one of Francis Bacon's screaming Popes - "Study After Velasquez' Pope Innocent X." I'll have to come back here next time I'm passing through Des Moines. Leave a Comment
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These allegorical figures are from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Capitol Hill, and they are the most "controversial" part of the entire "piece." The original designer Harriet Ketcham wanted to have a grouping of the goddess of History giving instruction to the hopeful youth meant to represent the state of Iowa. But as executed by Carl Rohl Smith, History is a sour looking bald androgynous figure who does not deign to notice the kid at "its" side. Many Iowans present and past have not been pleased with this representation. They want History to be more hopeful, and certainly more attractive.
Well. . . I'm a professional historian and I think I can understanding what the artist was trying to convey here. History is NOT a beautiful thing, and History does not necessarily pay heed to the young. it might be easier to accept this piece of sculpture in 2004 than it was in 1896, when it was first unveiled. Leave a Comment
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This was a surprisingly interesting place that I hadn't expected.
This is a new addition to Des Moines' "Capitol Hill" district. Just finished this year, the Judicial Branch Building is home to some of Iowa's most important courts,including its Supreme Court. It was designed by a local architectural firm, the DLR Group, and shows an impressive ability to "re-interpret" the classical style in an agreeably modern idiom.
Inside there is a group of beautiful historic murals, salvaged from a 19th century State Supreme Court building that caught fire and was destroyed. These murals were originally created in the 1880s by a firm in Germany; they have now been skillfully restored and placed on public display for the first time in a century. Leave a Comment
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When we drove to Pella we noticed this building on our way back to our hotel returning from Pella we decided to stop by.
The golden dome really attracts the attention, for us it was the reason to take a closer look.
This state capitol was build between 1871 and 1886. It is an good example of 19th century architecture. The interior of the building has many different types and colors of marble. But also fixtures and carvings in both wood and stone. The dome is covered with a 23-karat gold leaf.
Since the building is on a hill you can have a great view of the surrounding area.
Picture taken june 10, 2004
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4845 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, Iowa - Amerihost Inn And Suites Des Moines
4685 NE 14th Street (formerly AmeriHost Inn), Des Moines, Iowa - Baymont Clives
1390 Northwest 118th Street (formerly Baymont Inn), Des Moines, Iowa - Super 8 Des Moines Airport Ia
1921 Hackley Avenue I-35 (Exit 68) Highway 5, Des Moines, Iowa - Villager Ldg Urbandale Des Moi
7625 Hickman Road, Des Moines, Iowa - Holiday Inn Merle Hay
5000 Merle Hay Rd. (formerly Holiday Inn Merle Hay), Des Moines, Iowa - Country Inn and Suites
1350 NW 118th Street, Des Moines, Iowa - Amerihost Inn And Suites Des Moines
4685 NE 14th Street (formerly AmeriHost Inn), Des Moines, Iowa - Days Inn Ankeny
105 NE Delaware Ave. I-35 Exit 92, Des Moines, Iowa - Super 8 Lodge
4755 Merle Hay Road I-80/I-35, Exit131, Des Moines, Iowa - Super 8 Des Moines Merle Hay
4755 Merle Hay Road I-80/I-35, Exit131, Des Moines, Iowa - Best Inn Des Moines
5050 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, Iowa - Heartland Inn Des Moines West
11414 Forest Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa - Des Moines Airport Holiday Inn
6111 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, Iowa
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on September 1, 2004
on December 30, 2002
on July 7, 2004
on August 1, 2004
