1 Mechtild Widrich, “A Building is Concerned with the Present. On the Kunstmuseum Basel’s New Building by Christ & Gantenbein,” in Kunstmuseum Basel, New Building (Berlin: Hatje Cantz, 2016). 2 Hal Foster, “After the White Cube,” London Review of Books 37, no. 6 (March 19, 2015): 25–26. See “After the White Cube,” London Review of Books, last accessed March 2017, http:// www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n06/hal-foster/after-the-white-cube.
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20th century, and instead addressed the idea of the “museum as icon,” as enunciated by Hal Foster.2 In the next step lies the essential aspect of the transfer, namely the introduction of the type in a tangible context, which allows the building to overcome its iconic attribute by rooting itself in a history, a culture, and a legacy. Here, Los Angeles was chosen as an undetermined site, not only because of its potential as an environment attracting the art scene, but also for its great architectural and urban openness. The identification of an appropriate site to transfer the type is the first step toward transformation, which allows the building to reach a certain autonomy from the original type and produce a genuine design. This process enabled the art, the type, and the site to lead to specific and unique project development. Thus this method, which translates old knowledge into something different, can be called a living, future-oriented tradition.