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Light and wood: An intimate and human space within the art libraries of Louis I. Kahn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2017

Kraig Binkowski
Kraig Binkowski*
Affiliation:
Chief Librarian, Reference Library and Archives, Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8280USA Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In the libraries of the Yale Center for British Art and the Kimbell Art Museum, Louis I. Kahn created spaces and atmospheres that are particularly conducive to reading about and viewing art. In these rooms, natural light combines with sympathetic materials and forms a timeless dance with thought and contemplation. This paper focusses on the unique library carrels which form the physical bridge between light and dark, inside and outside, and constitute a microcosm of Kahn's thoughts about reading, libraries and museums.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , January 2018 , pp. 16 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © ARLIS/UK&Ireland 2017 

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References

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