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Dia: Beacon Museum

Introduction

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Opened in 2003, the Dia: Beacon Museum is a large contemporary art museum located in a former Nabisco box printing factory. It is operated by the Dia Art Foundation, a non-profit organization which owns another museum in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Dia's mission is to initiate, support, present, and preserve art projects—particularly large ones—that might have difficulty being realized. Dia has helped artists in New York and around the country complete their projects. Dia also pioneered the conversion of industrial buildings for contemporary art installations. It has been their aim to provide a single gallery space for one artist's project. For example, from 2003 to 2014 Dia presented Andy Warhol's large "Shadows" painting series in one gallery.


Images

  • The Dia: Beacon Museum
  • Aerial view of the museum and the Hudson River
  • Warhol's "Shadows" installation
  • A view inside the museum

Backstory and Context

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The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 after renovations for the museum were completed. The museum is known for the natural light that comes in through the thousands of square feet of glass skylights. Dia was founded in 1974. About 75,000 people visit the museum each year.

Sources

http://www.diaart.org/sites/page/1/1003

Additional Information