A great art museum fosters outstanding encounters with art. Three principal design concepts distinguish a great art museum:

Every aspect of the museum should work in concert to prepare viewers for that “aesthetic moment” when a work of art speaks to them in purely visual, emotional, or intellectual terms. Every element, from the building’s massing down to the smallest details of the visitors’ experience, should be orchestrated to contribute to a positive encounter between the visitor and art.

A committed understanding of the fundamental importance of the qualities of light that enhance art and support the act of seeing. To experience art fully, proper lighting is absolutely essential. Appropriate selection of both indirect natural lighting and supplemental artificial lighting heightens the visitor’s experience, while responsibly protecting the art. Controlled use of natural light is also essential in other areas where it enhances activities, defines architectural space, and creates comfortable transitions from the exterior world to the gallery interiors.

Behind the scenes, flawless care and protection of the collection is critical. The spaces where the art enters the building, where it is stored, where it is viewed by scholars, curators and researchers and where all the other support functions occur, should similarly work in concert to meet the museum’s primary objectives.