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WORLD CLASS ART Big league art can be found at the North Carolina Museum of Art | By Michael Jaenicke
experience is more important than having the absolute biggest, best and most famous collections, the museum has succeeded in its mission. The filtered skylights, two sets of retracting curtains and a light system designed to
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adjust to proper levels, protect the art and provide radiant views. Pristine white walls and white pine floors provide the framework for the art. But you have to look closely to see the technology that illuminates the museum’s 40
galleries. New York architect Thomas Phifer and his partners’ ingenuity was so subtle that it defies the eyes of most visitors. What appears as Japanese minimalism actually provides radiant sunlight to the art. And it doesn’t hurt that the art is exquisite. There is a wonderful collection of
Rodin sculptures, a newly acquired Picasso, gems from Peter Paul Rubens, magnificent CityViewNC.com | 63
ALEIGH — In the North Carolina Museum of Art’s new West Wing, natural resources augment the masterpieces. The use of light and air create an ambiance that rivals even more renowned museums. What NCMA has on its contemporaries is that it enhances the art
so well that, even when the museum is crowded, visitors can still have a one-on-one experience with the works. And if that intimate
