Bal Harbour

186 BAL HARBOUR ounded in 1964, the Bass Museum is one of the oldest of the splashy, contemporary art institutions in and around Miami. "We have a proud and strong historical presence," says Silvia Karman Cubiñá, the museum's executive director. But, with a $12 million renovation by architects David Gauld and Arata Isozaki ready to open in late spring, and a new acquisitions program that launched last year with Ugo Rondinone's neon-bright, instantly instagrammable Miami Mountain, there's nothing staid about it. "Fifteen years ago, when people went to a museum, it was like going to church. You had to be quiet, look at the art reverentially and walk out," says Cubiñá. Those days are gone. Visitors now expect not only world-class art that excites and challenges, but also delicious food, broad educational and social programming, and chic shopping experiences. "We are following the behavior of the visitor today," says Cubiñá, by adding a café led by Thierry Isambert, a museum store, and 50 percent more programmable space. Amenities are swell, but contemporary art remains the sine qua non of the Bass. "We've always had a collection, but we hadn't been acquiring," says Cubiñá. "For the past seven years, we've been studying and assessing our collection. We weren't ready to start an acquisitions program until now." Cubiñá and her board, led by George Lindemann, committed last September to adding a major work of contemporary art to the permanent collection every fall for a decade—and with a bold opening salvo. "Our big present to ourselves in 2016 was the Ugo Rondinone sculpture, Miami Mountain, that is now on Collins Avenue," she says. The second purchase was Sylvie Fleury's Eternity Now, which is installed on the museum's façade. Swiss-born, New York-based Rondinone will have his first U.S. solo museum show at the Bass in 2017. The inaugural year of programming will also include solo exhibitions of contemporary artists Mika Rottenberg and Pascale Marthine Tayou. The Bass was no stranger to expansion, historic preservation, or architect David Gauld when its board selected the New York- based architect for the project. It was already the most important historic building of Miami's Art Deco District when legendary architect Arata Isozaki authored an iconic addition in 1999. Gauld spearheaded that addition, working under Isozaki, who, this time around, at age 85, serves as an advisor. Gauld says his vision for the addition was "a beautiful, light-filled space. One of the central new areas we're creating is a glass-enclosed courtyard, with a dramatic 30-foot ceiling. The historic building is on one side, the addition by Isozaki is on the other and the glass enclosure is by me, so all three of us are together." "Nearly 20 years ago, we created the courtyard between the two buildings, and the museum has used it mainly for special events," Gauld explains. "It was a loved space, right up against the historic building. But they could only use it if the weather was cooperating." Enclosing the courtyard was the obvious answer, but with the museum's landmark 1930s-era building, "attaching anything to the façade would require a lot of care." Gauld's solution was to install glass walls, to avoid attaching anything to the stone. As an added benefit, "glass contrasts with the solid stone of the building and compliments it rather than competing with it," according to Gauld. The museum's historic façade is still visible in its entirety, without interruption. "From the exterior, there's very little change on the north side. As you walk around the building, though, you see the transformation," says Gauld, who addeda ramped entrance accessible directly from 22nd Street, and a dedicated entrance for the education department on Park Avenue. "The education department is now three times the size it was," says Gauld. Cubiñá adds,"We are going to have the largest education facility in any art museum in Miami-Dade County." She thinks recent growth of the art market and culture in Miami demanded the enlargement. "Museums here have come into their own in a big way," she says. "I consider it a a maturing of philanthropy and civics. We've quadrupled our attendance and tripled our budget. When I started eight years ago, I had a board of four. We now have 30 members." While the museum's physical plant is expanding to accommodate more visitors, it is also bursting beyond its walls, situating new acquisitions outside of its confines. "It's one thing to have a sculpture in the museum," says Cubiñá. "But when you have sculptures outside, you're getting people who aren't interested in walking into the museum, or don't have time—tourists, locals, and families. It touches so many different types of people." "We're building the bicycle as we ride it. There's a lot happening very quickly." —Silvia Karman Cubiñá F COURTESY OF THE BASS MUSEUM OF ART/ PHOTO BY ©ZACHARY BALBER

• Cover