Frank Lloyd Wright Celebrated at Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art in Denver, CO celebrates the genius of American architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright with a calendar full of exhibitions, lectures and tours in 2022.

“Along with two original windows, multiple Frank Lloyd Wright pieces are found in Kirkland Museum’s permanent collection,” explains Associate Museum Director Renée Albiston. “We can’t wait to share these intriguing examples of Wright’s work in a cohesive exhibition accompanied by a variety of programming that includes exciting lectures with internationally renowned experts and other visitor engagement opportunities throughout the year.”

“Frank Lloyd Wright is a name that many recognize as an influential American architect, but few in Denver may know he designed specific decorative art pieces to accompany his building projects,” Albiston continues.

Returning Wright

View Frank Lloyd Wright’s original windows at Kirkland Museum until mid-April 2022

Kirkland Museum announces the repatriation of two original windows from the Museum’s collection to their original context in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House (built 1903–1905) in Buffalo, NY. Currently on display near the east entrance of Kirkland Museum, the “light screens,” as the architect called them, will return to the Martin House in 2022.

“By making this extraordinary gift of these light screens, Kirkland Museum has asserted its leadership role as a steward of the public trust and reinforced its legacy as a center of cultural and artistic excellence,” states Martin House Executive Director Mary Roberts. “The light screens represent an excellent sampling of Wright’s genius in glass, which is critical to the scholarly interpretation and general appreciation of the Martin House estate.”

Wright’s light screens are an important contributing attribute to the overall significance of the Martin House. There are 16 site-specific patterns of art glass in the form of windows, doors, laylights and skylights, which were designed by Wright exclusively for Darwin D. Martin and his family for their multi-residential estate.

The light screens—which were removed from the Martin House during a period in the property’s history when the home remained vacant and fell under disrepair—were acquired by the Museum and have been under their careful stewardship for 23 years.

The Celebration Continues

Temporary exhibition “Frank Lloyd Wright Inside the Walls” opens June 16, 2022

Running June 16, 2022 to Jan. 8, 2023, visitors will dive into the world of Frank Lloyd Wright with selections from Kirkland Museum’s permanent collection in the temporary exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright Inside the Walls.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) was an American architect and designer. Decorative art objects from around a dozen of Wright’s building projects, including the Imperial Hotel (Tokyo), Price Tower (Oklahoma) and Austin House (South Carolina), are part of the permanent collection of Kirkland Museum. Wright designs at Kirkland Museum reflect the range of his work in Arts & Crafts, Art Deco and Modern styles.

Frank Lloyd Wright Inside the Walls will explore the relationship between his architecture and decorative art. Wright believed in the concept of “a total work of art,” with the accessories and furnishings of a building complementing the architecture to create a unified whole.

“The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is pleased to support Kirkland Museum’s exhibition, and I look forward to giving a guest lecture,” says Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. “Wright’s visionary designs were all about unifying landscapes, buildings and the other elements of design in a total work of art that had the power to make our lives better. Kirkland’s upcoming exhibition will reveal how his design principles are still relevant—and needed more than ever—in our lives and in the future.”

Presented by Deputy Curator Christopher Herron and chosen from the collection assembled by Founding Director & Curator Hugh Grant, this special exhibition is included with admission and does not require a separate ticket.

Frank Lloyd Wright Lectures

Internationally renowned experts describe the breadth and magic of Wright’s work

Offering guests an opportunity to learn more, Kirkland Museum will present three lectures in 2022, with renowned Frank Lloyd Wright experts including the Foundation’s own Stuart Graff.

“Working closely with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, we are thrilled to bring Denver the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the breadth and beauty of Wright’s design work,” says Albiston.

• Thursday, March 3, 2022—Jack Quinan, based in Boulder, is Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Department of Visual Studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Curator Emeritus at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House and will lecture on the Martin House as it relates to the return of windows from Kirkland Museum.
• Wednesday, August 3, 2022—Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation at Taliesin West in Arizona, will lecture on the expression of unity in Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.
• Thursday, October 13, 2022—Julie Sloan, New York-based expert on Frank Lloyd Wright’s stained and architectural glass and published author, will lecture on the subject of glass pieces featured in Kirkland Museum’s exhibition.

Visiting Kirkland Museum

Enhanced sanitization and frequent daily cleanings are still implemented throughout the building. Timed tickets are no longer required. Online tickets are available for pre-purchase and walk-in visitors are welcome. Visitors ages 13 and older are welcome.

Kirkland Museum is operated in accordance with guidelines established by the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment and the City and County of Denver. Due to the uncertainties of COVID-19, plans are subject to change. See KirklandMuseum.org for the latest updates and to plan your visit.

For more information, visit KirklandMuseum.org/frank-lloyd-wright-inside-the-walls/.