New Type of Art Space
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Wrightwood 659 is an exhibition space in Chicago, designed by Tadao Ando, who has transformed a 1920s building with his signature concrete forms and poetic treatment of natural light. Wrightwood 659 will be devoted to exhibitions of architecture and socially engaged art. In a city rich with art institutions and internationally known for its architecture, Wrightwood 659 is a site for both intimate experiences of art and architecture, and thoughtful engagement with the pressing social issues of our time. Located at 659 W. Wrightwood Avenue, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, it is a private, non-commercial initiative envisioned as an integral part of the cultural and civic fabric of Chicago, as well as a new kind of arts space and cultural resource.
Lisa Cavanaugh, Director of Wrightwood 659, states “We are delighted to be opening a new space for art in Chicago, one conducive to quiet reflection and thoughtful engagement, while also provoking activism on behalf of a more just society. We look forward to welcoming visitors to Wrightwood 659.”
Wrightwood 659 will host exhibitions generally alternating between socially engaged art and explorations in architecture and design. The Gallery does not possess a collection and it is not intended to be a collecting organization.
The inaugural exhibition “Ando and Le Corbusier: Master of Architecture” explores the Swiss-French modernist architect’s influence on his Japanese contemporary. It includes more than 100 Le Corbusier drawings, photographs, and models—on loan from institutions including the Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris, and the Art Institute of Chicago—as well as 106 small models of Le Corbusier’s architectural works made by students of Ando.
A mezzanine level accommodates a large concrete scale-model of Ando’s iconic Church of the Light in Ibaraki, Japan, which is positioned beneath a skylight. The second and third floors are dedicated to more of Ando’s projects, particularly his work on the Japanese island of Naoshima and the Benesse Art Site.
Tadao Ando Architect and Associates