Lifting the Veil

A dramatic update to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum extends an open invitation

- ELIZABETH FAZZARE

In the late '90s and early 2000s, a lot of municipalities wanted the Bilbao effect," says architect Shohei Shigematsu, referring to the cultural and economic impact that Frank Gehry's Guggenheim outpost had on the Spanish city. "Now they want the Art Basel effect, more event-based engagement to the arts." With this evolution in mind, Shigematsu, a New York partner at the international firm OMA, designs museums not only as hallowed exhibition spaces but as places to gather, learn, and celebrate.