The Parrish Art Museum

Architecture by Herzog +De Meuron
Landscape Architecture by Reed/Hilderbrand

 Parrish Art Museum/Photograph above by Jane Messinger 

The Parrish Art Museum, by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, is a perfect example of understated done just right. It evokes the sense of "barn" without being too literal, and is simple,and elegant. It consists of a central spine, which are two gabled roofs side-by-side, and each is 615 feet long, which is a powerful proportion to observe in person and almost impossible to capture in a photograph taken by me (although well done by above photographer Jane Messinger). It houses an exquisite collection of modern art by Long Island artists such as William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Albert York, and Fairfield Porter, and larger works by Chuck Close and Eric Fischl and Donald Sultan. It is sited in a landscape equal in it's power to evoke a sense of the local ecology and meadow landscapes that are native to the east end of Long Island. The landscape, brilliantly executed by Reed Hilderbrand, serves as a quiet yet exquisite canvas against which the architecture can be experienced and appreciated.

Three paths connect the parking area, which is kept deliberately separate from the building.

The landscape is a restored meadow and is described by it's designer, Douglas Reed as "dynamic and constantly changing". 

Opportunities to take in the landscape are offered along the oversized  paths along the exterior under the roofs.

The entry provides a giant gathering space under gabled roofs made of corrugated metal, supported by concrete walls evoking a sense of a barn without being too literal.

Digital Wave is a media installation, best observed from out in the landscape, by the artist

Location of the Parrish Museum: 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY