Research

Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell Art Foundation was established in 1936 by Kay and Velma Kimbell, Texas industrialists and art collectors, to establish an art institute for the people of Texas.

The board of trustees of the Foundation hired Richard Fargo Brown as initial director of the museum and Brown wrote the seminal "Pre-Architectural Program" while interviewing architects for the commission. Brown's rapport with noted architect Louis I. Kahn, FAIA of Philadelphia was remarkable and Kahn was hired in the summer of 1966. An extensive design and construction process followed lasting six years.

The museum building opened in October 1972. The work of architect Louis Kahn, the 120,000 square foot (11,000 m²) building consists of a series of parallel, cycloidal concrete shells in the form of barrel Vaults with a counterpoint of three interior courts. Structural engineer for the museum was August Komendant and the structure remains a positive example on the use of daylight in viewing art.