Gallery Renovations make Art the Centerpiece
The Brandywine Museum of Art is housed in a 19th-century mill building with steel and glass additions overlooking the scenic Brandywine Creek. The Wyeth and Sharp Galleries were constructed in 1983 and had not been renovated since that time. Many of the 1983 gallery design elements competed with the artwork, including a heavy, wood-beamed ceiling, exposed mechanical diffusers, a dark wood floor, and imposing light fixtures. AOS worked with Museum leadership to re-envision the spaces as neutral, flexible settings that meet current expectations for the display of their collection.
The gallery renovations removed existing heavy and dark finishes and replaced them with new lighting, ceilings, and HVAC distribution that allow the focus to be on the art. A new dry-pipe sprinkler system was installed in the renovated galleries and significant modifications of the HVAC system were made to improve temperature and humidity control.
The opening exhibit in the Wyeth Gallery - Abstract Flash: Unseen Andrew Wyeth, is the first exhibition to focus on Wyeth’s interest in the abstract art of his contemporaries and the roots of his own practice in abstract methods. The Sharp Gallery for American Illustration reopened with an exhibit on Howard Pyle, one of America’s most influential artists during the so-called Golden Age of Illustration.
Project Team:
Mechanical Engineer: IMEG (formerly known as Bruce Brooks & Associates); Lighting Designer: The Lighting Practice; Construction Manager: Whiting Turner; Photography: Dan Jackson; Owner's Project Manager: Aegis
