Sunday, August 29, 2010

Dia: Beacon



Snuggled in the stunning Hudson Valley 60 miles north of Manhattan sits a wonderful contemporary art gallery, Dia.

Situated in the small town of Beacon overlooking the might Hudson River, this 240,000 square foot exhibition space was once a box-printing factory. With the funds and foresight of Barnes & Noble's chairman Leonard Riggio, this factory was turned into a massive art space and opened to the public in 2003.  


Because of the sheer scale of the building and the incredible natural light, the museum can house works that more conventional museums simply don't have room for. Works include 3 enormous Richard Serra sculptures, a wonderful spider by Louise Bourgeois and Andy Warhol's Shadows, 102 artworks hung side by side and low to the floor, around 3 sides of a space.

It's a fantastic place to visit for a day trip. When you have had enough of the art, you can wander around the 70 acres of river parkland or browse over a coffee in the exceptional art bookstore.

My (illegal) photos don't do the space justice, so I am going to punctuate them with official shots that give you more of a sense of the space and works.


Imi Knoebel: 24 colors - for Blinky

Andy Warhol: Shadows


Walter de Maria: The Equal Area Series

Michael Heizer: North, South, East, West

Louise Bourgeois: Maman

Richard Serra


images: (1,7,8, 10) dia beacon, (2) the daily green, (3-6, 9) mine

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