Glenstone is an art museum conceived on the core value that “Art is essential to life.” Its thoughtfully designed indoor and outdoor spaces combine the power of art with nature. Check this out!
Glenstone has one of the world’s finest collections of contemporary and modern art. Opened in 2006, and expanded in 2018, the museum welcomes over 100,000 visitors free of charge every year.
230 Acres of Art
Glenstone Potomac MD is a unique museum experience that seamlessly integrates art, architecture, and landscape. Founded in 2006 by Mitchell Rales and his wife Emily Wei Rales, this private museum showcases a unique collection of post-World War II art in a serene setting of rolling hills, streams, and woods.
The first exhibition building was designed by Charles Gwathmey; the new expansion, “The Pavilions,” was designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners. With the expansion, Glenstone now hosts a total of six galleries that feature about 1,300 works by more than 200 contemporary artists.
The first impression at Glenstone is not of a museum, but of an estate. Its long entry drive leads to discreet parking areas, each named for a tree in the lush, 300-acre park that surrounds Glenstone.
230 Acres of Landscape
Located in Potomac MD, Glenstone is a world-class museum of contemporary art that integrates its collection, architecture, and landscape into one immersive experience. Glenstone has more than 300 acres of gardens and outdoor sculptures that engage visitors throughout their journey on-site.
When Mitchell Rales, a local billionaire, built Glenstone in 2006 to share his extraordinary collection of modern and contemporary art, he and Emily Wei Rales wanted to make the institution a different kind of museum. They envisioned it as a place of respite and contemplation.
Since its inception, Glenstone has expanded its facilities and grounds. In addition to a new 204,000 square foot museum building called the Pavilions designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners, Glenstone also boasts 130 acres of rolling meadows, woodlands, walking paths, wetlands, and outdoor sculptures.
The landscape at Glenstone was designed to engage visitors on a sensorial and spatial journey that envelops them from the moment they enter the park. The design combines grading, planting, and storm-water management strategies that require less water than traditional landscaping techniques would require. Discover more exciting places here.
230 Acres of History
Glenstone Potomac MD is a museum of modern and contemporary art that is integrated into 230 acres of rolling pastures and unspoiled woodlands in Montgomery County, Maryland. Founded by billionaire Mitch Rales and his wife Emily, the museum presents a holistic experience of modern and contemporary art within a natural environment.
The museum combines two gallery buildings and numerous outdoor sculptures to create a relaxing environment. The landscape is meant to loosen the mind and let you think more deeply about the artworks.
This museum is one of the largest private museums in the United States, with an impressive collection of artworks. It is located about 15 miles from Washington, DC.
Glenstone was originally opened in 2006, but it has recently expanded its exhibition space more than five times. It now has a 30,000-square-foot Charles Gwathmey-designed exhibition building and a series of pavilions designed by Thomas Phifer, along with a sculpture park occupying part of the property’s 230 acres.
230 Acres of Community
Over the course of a decade, the site of Glenstone Potomac MD has knit together 230 acres of formerly planned residential-subdivision plots into a landscape experience defined by watersheds. A team of architects, artists and ecologists worked collaboratively to transform the property from a secluded assemblage of small one-to-five-acre plots to an integrated experience of rolling topography, native meadows, streams, singular architecture and site-specific sculpture.
As a result, visitors are given over to accessible paths and trails that lead them to sculptures tucked into woodlands or sited in clearings. The results are meditative, almost monastic experiences that encourage visitors to set aside their everyday concerns and take in the landscape.
Billionaire Mitchell Rales, who co-founded Glenstone with his wife Emily Wei Rales, has donated $1.9 billion to the museum, which he and his wife maintain as their primary residence. The gift has been used to support the institution’s expansion and facilities maintenance. Click here for the next blog post.
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