Focus on this artwork and explain the History.
The initial conception of Austin was the television producer and art collector Douglas S. Cramer's request to Ellsworth Kelly to design an architectural pavillion on his vineyard near Santa Barbara, California. Kelly designed the structure that would later become Austin, intending it for Cramer's estate, but the plans eventually fell through.In January 2015, Kelly gifted to the Blanton Museum the design concept for a 2,715 square feet (252.2 m2) stone building that he subsequently named Austin. Kelly said that the design of the building was inspired by Romanesque and Byzantine art he studied while in Paris on the G.I. Bill. Following Kelly's gift, the Blanton launched a $15 million campaign to realize the project. This number eventually grew to $23 million.The building was opened to the public February 18, 2018.A companion exhibition of Kelly's prints, sketches, and sculptures was displayed February 18 - April 29, 2018 at the Blanton to trace the evolution of four core motifs throughout his career: spectrum, black and white, color grid, and totem.
totem Romanesque Ellsworth Kelly Douglas S. Cramer Byzantine art G.I. Bill Santa Barbara, California