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The Bass reopens today after closing for more than two years
The Miami Beach art museum has 50% more operating space and eight galleries, up from four
The Bass in Miami Beach, formerly known as the Bass Museum of Art, will reopen today after closing for more than two years for a $12 million renovation and reconfiguration.
The project expanded the museum’s operating space by 50 percent and increased the number of exhibition galleries from four to eight.
Among other upgrades, a large ramp in the middle of the museum was removed to make room for additional galleries and an enlarged lobby and reception area.
A patio, formerly outdoors, is now an enclosed court for events and art installations.
The educational center at The Bass was expanded to include a second classroom, a multimedia lab and a conference room that also can serve as a theater.
New York architect David Gault remodeled The Bass in consultation with Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, who designed an addition to museum that opened in 2001. The original building is an Art Deco-style landmark that opened in 1930.
A $7.5 million grant from the City of Miami Beach and $1 million of gifts from the Cejas and Lindemann families funded part of the cost of the museum remodeling project, which took twice as long to finish as originally estimated. The city owns the privately run museum.
The expansion and improvement of The Bass coincides with the museum’s curatorial diversification, which is adding contemporary art to its existing collection of Old Masters works. [Miami Herald] — Mike Seemuth