The idea to build a Ruby City and place her own collection of contemporary art there came to Linda Pace, an American artist, collector and philanthropist, in a dream several months before her death. It should be mentioned that Pace constantly analyzed her dreams, and recorded the most interesting ones on paper. Dreams were important in her life: they "helped" her decide to divorce her first husband and create the Artpace gallery.
In 2007, she dreamed of a city shimmering in different shades of red; waking up, Pace first of all took up a pencil to capture seen. The artist entrusted the design of the museum from a dream to the British architect David Adjaye. It took over ten years to make her dream a reality. The $ 16 million project was funded by the Linda Pace Foundation. The opening of the art center took place a year ago, and the entrance was made free of charge.
The total area of the "Ruby City" - 1300 m2, of which 930 m2 given over to exhibition galleries - they occupy the entire second floor. It features paintings, sculptures, installations and video works by local and internationally renowned artists; among the latter are Marina Abramovich, Kiki Smith, Do Ho Su.
On the ground floor there are offices, storage facilities and various technical rooms. Two staircases lead to the second floor at once - according to David Adjaye, visitors should make a small "loop-like" journey through the museum: go up to the second level along one staircase, go around all three galleries there and, having gone down the other, find themselves at the same point from where the "journey" began.
Due to the cantilever protrusion, the second floor looks heavier. Two skylights on the gable roof at the very top provide the interior with access to the sunlight so valuable for the exhibition space. Window openings at the end of the building overlook a park with an area of about 0.4 hectares - it was created in memory of Linda's son Pace, who died at the age of 25.
-
Image 
zooming 1/3 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 2/3 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 3/3 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
Outside, the building is sheathed with reinforced concrete panels of deep red color, while the lower part of the facade is smooth, and the upper part is rough and shiny (the secret lies in the pieces of red glass that cover the panels). The "watershed" runs at a height of about three meters - a human hand can reach this mark. One gets the impression that the rough and unfriendly red “rock” from constant interaction with a person “softened” and became “obedient”.
-
Image 
zooming 1/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 2/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 3/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 4/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
Image 
zooming 1/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 2/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 3/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 4/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
Image 
zooming 1/5 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 2/5 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 3/5 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 4/5 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 5/5 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
Image 
zooming 1/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 2/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 3/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 4/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 5/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 6/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 7/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 8/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 9/9 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
Image 
zooming 1/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 2/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 3/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
-
zooming 4/4 Ruby City Contemporary Art Center Photo © Dror Baldinger. Courtesy of Ruby City and Adjaye Associates
