Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts

A lot of folks will rave about the building. And I agree with them: the design (inspired by a set of lungs) is quite spectacular. As is the entrance to the building: a winding concrete curlicue that takes you directly to the Sert Gallery doors. But not many people are talking about what’s inside. The art itself… how does that stack up?
With the Harvard Art Museum right next door, the MFA and ICA a couple of stops away on the Green and Silver lines, and a host of contemporary galleries popping up on Harrison Ave (not to mention the stalwarts on Newbury St), why would you want to spend an hour or more perusing the art here?
In truth: you shouldn’t.
I’ve been a couple of times and each time (lured by press releases repeated verbatim in the Boston Phoenix and Improper Bostonian), I’ve been disappointed. On my latest trip, I saw an exhibition of films made by Laurel Nakadate. The work is, to be sure, controversial. A youngish looking woman (the artist herself) dances lasciviously in front of middle aged men who stare hungrily, dejectedly, or pathetically at the gyrating «girl» in front of them. She doesn’t know these men well. She picked them up and cast them in her videos. The videos are creepy… disturbing even. But, the work is representative of what’s shown here. The curator, who wants to support up and coming or established avant garde artsits, is pushing buttons. But, they seem to the be wrong ones. The art here is sad. It’s often puzzling. The placards lack description or explanation. And I usually walk away disappointed rather than intellectually or visually stimulated.
As stunning as the building is, it’s just not worth taking the trip to Harvard Square when you can up the ante by riding the T a couple more stops to Boston.

not too familiar with this other than i like to go thru the ramp so i’ll defer to the real architects to give the true 411… what follows is my personal opinion which probably has no academic value. also the esteemed community director is making me write a list so here goes…
To my knowledge, Le Corbusier’s only north american building, and home of the fine arts programs ar Harvard. Le Corbusier is all about geometry, for better (Ronchamp) or worse and you can see both at play — some of the windows conform to the rectangular, repetitive style seen in some of his later works (and that IMHO made them much more brutal and grating than they should have been), but the lyrical side of Le Corbusier shows in the sweeping ramp that connects and wraps around the various elements of the building, as well as the elements of the building resting on thin concrete columns reminiscent of his more well known Villa Savoye.

One of great buildings in the world. A pair of lungs inspired the conceptual design of massing for this building. All the Corbu’s design principles are incorporated throughout in the aesthetic and function of public and private spaces.
During hot summer a nice breeze of air passing through the bris soleil and floor to ceiling window. A pleasant and inspiring studio/​work space… (in memory of the late Prof. Szabo).