:"In his first news conference as Rome’s newly elected mayor, Gianni Alemanno announced on Wednesday that he would tear down a museum designed by Richard Meier."
In Italy we have so many problems that spending money to dismantle Meier's museum is really pointless. Here a collection of articles taken from the main newspapers.
7 Comments
I'm not a fan of the ironic gestures of Postmodernism, and even less so of Richard Meier, but the Ara Pacis museum is really not that bad. While visiting Rome last year, I recall Alemanno (he was running for Mayor at the time) talking about how he would tear the thing down. I'm sure it gets a lot of press, but I'm also sure that their energy could be better utilized.
not that i have been in that museum, or familiar with the site other than the pictures.
i think more than the building, meier's religious faith might be bothering the fascist mayor.
romans should get rid of him first.
what is he gonna do, build a window like this?
Boo hiss.
I liked Meier's build.
Alemanno dislikes the altar to peace? he'd prefer to command the holy roman empire instead?
i think it is difficult to undestand what is happening in Italy lately. Rome has a new "fascist" mayor who graduated in engineering just few years ago. In the meanwhile the new mayor of London is a guy who studied at eton and speaks Latin and ancient greek.
In regard of Meier's museum, personally, i don't like it for many reasons (no relations with the city, no control of light inside, it is super bright...) but it is the first contemporary building in the city centre (the last one during Mussolini... just a coincidence?!?)
funny that they exalt the millenium chapel built by Meier but hate the Museum...hmm
It is all a political controversy that doesn't engage the architecture problem, relationship with the surrounding buildings, August's mausoleum,etc.
The Ara Pacis building was commission by the then Mayor Francesco Rutelli (Center left pary). He called Meier without establishing an architecture competition to choose the designer.(In Italy all public works have to be executed choosing the designer through a competition).
That is why Alemanno and his party are so bitter at it, it is just a political attack towards Veltroni (Rome's previous Mayor, Rutelli and the center left party)
That also explains why the church in the outskirts of Rome has so much success, there aren't any political issues involved in it.
I don't think the demolition will ever get done(It has just recently open!) there isn't enough money and it should be used somewhere else.
I don't like the building, but they should leave it where it is and let Rome absorb it in its architectural tissue.Maybe in 50 years time I will look at it with different eyes.
Ciao da Roma!
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