The Phillips Expands

Gallery to accommodate larger, post-1950s art. Photo © Robert Lautman

Sant Building Opens

On April 15, 2006, The Phillips Collection’s most recent addition opened to the public following a three-year building project. The new Sant Building honors longtime Phillips patron and former Board President and Chair Victoria P. Sant who, with her husband, Roger, triggered the successful completion of the $27-million fundraising campaign by giving $9 million in matching funds for the project. The building doubles the size of the museum and increases gallery space by nearly 20 percent.

With 65 percent of the new spaces located below ground, the addition preserves the intimate scale and residential quality that distinguishes the Phillips, as well as respects the character of its historic Dupont Circle neighborhood. The enlarged Phillips will be able to fully serve its many audiences, while maintaining the unique qualities that have made it a premier Washington destination and one of the world’s leading intimately scaled art museums.

Designed by Washington, D.C. architects Cox, Graae and Spack, the addition increases gallery space and flexibility, expands opportunities for public and educational programming, creates a clear entrance and improves traffic flow for museum visitors, and adds important visitor amenities. Key features include:

	The relocated Rothko Room. Photo © Robert Lautman

• New and expanded galleries, among them the first to accommodate larger-scale post-1950s work
• The relocated Rothko Room, which opened in 1960 as the first public space dedicated solely to the work of abstract expressionist artist Mark Rothko, installed in its original configuration
• A 180-seat auditorium for lectures, films, and events
• An art activity room for hands-on education projects, and exhibition spaces for student art
• An art technology lab, for developing interactive resources based on the Phillips’ acclaimed educational programs
• An outdoor courtyard with sculptures by Ellsworth Kelly and Barbara Hepworth
• A new library and archives housing Duncan Phillips’ writings and correspondence with artists, dealers, and other cultural figures
• A new art conservation studio
• New and expanded visitor entrance, café, and shop
  

The project’s completion also marks the launch of The Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art, an interdisciplinary research and publishing initiative undertaken in partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.