GLENSTONE REDUX

Brice Marden, 5 panel "Moss Sutra"

Glenstone Museum sprang from the bank account of businessman Mitchell Rales and his art historian wife, Emily.

 

During the 1990s, the Rales’ amassed one of the largest privately owned collections of post-WWII art anywhere. They bought up 300 acres smack in the middle of horsey Potomac, Maryland, a stone’s throw from Washington D.C., built home and museum and proceeded to open for public visits in 2006 (Wednesday thru Sunday — reservations required). Phase 1, the 50,000 sq. ft. gallery. 

Chip and I visited in 2016. July 8, 2021. I visited Glenstone again — after its $200 Million “renovation.”

What do you get with a $200 million renovation? A lot!!! Begin with 9,000 trees (55 native species) planted among the carefully constructed “natural landscape.” Last week, the orchestrated meadows were frosted with white and yellow wildflowers. I can’t imagine a better time to visit except maybe earlier in the Spring when the hundreds of American dogwood trees are in bloom. Fall probably isn’t too bad either — all 9,000 trees bursting into color. 

Enter Glenstone grounds and park in the granite gravel parking lot. Obsession to detail starts here. Hint: look at the lighting. One of an army of assistants wearing matching gray uniforms (with a small minimal sterling silver barr pin on the breast pocket —something straight out of Star Wars) directs you to check in.

From here, you’re on foot and there’s a certain endurance necessary if you are to hike the nearly-two-mile trail system. Trails (a bit like rustic sidewalks) meander through the grounds, past significant outdoor sculptures and to The Pavillions, cafe and Gallery. 

The Pavillions is actually a cluster of independent buildings joined by wide hallways and walls of glass, all dodging in and around an 18,000 square foot water court. The “court” is full of intentionally placed colonies of plants. Did I already tell you that the Pavillions cover 204,000 square feet comprising 11 rooms illuminated by natural light? The entire campus is LEED Gold and LEED Platinum Certified. 

Color in Glenstone World is compressed into only the natural landscape and the artwork. All manmade surfaces are covered by very blond maple flooring or perfect expanses of white drywall. Buildings have a skin of individually poured concrete blocks — each block, 6 ft. long, 1 ft. high, 1 ft. deep — installed like tile. And of course, glass …panels that are 9 ft. wide by 30 ft. tall that fit flush to the concrete into stainless steel channels.

If you haven’t already guessed, I was gapping at the landscape while my touring partner had the vapors over the art collection itself. (You know that trio of wonderful Ruth Asawa knitted sculptures on the U.S. “Forever Stamp?” The originals are at Glenstone. Also one of the Duchamp “Urinals.” I couldn’t say which one. The original was lost but Duchamp authorized copies in 1950, 1953 and 1963. In 1964, an edition of 12 were cast — but not signed.) 

Aside from the exquisite setting and architecture, what catapults Glenstone into its own level of excellence is the pure luxury of space. The specially commissioned Brice Marden 5 -panel painting “Moss Sutra” is nearly 40 feet long. It’s installed in a room all by itself with plenty of space to spare. The three or four rather small Cy Twombly multi-media sculptures (I didn’t even know Twombly made sculptures — and I’m a Twombly fan!) — a room of their own. (Room #7 is empty but for a sensuously carved maple bench at least 15 ft. long pointed out through a wall of glass to the rolling meadow. This is for “rest and contemplation.”) 

Throughout Glenstone, art communes with sky, meadows and architecture, not as afterthought, the “jewelry added to the little black dress,” but as an integrated partner. There are no jarring commercials — no underwriters in big bold letters — no patron lists anywhere. Just incredible space, natural beauty and art — art to be liked or ridiculed or puzzled over but above all else, respectfully presented, naturally lit from heaven.