Quadracci Pavilion – Milwaukee Art Museum, WI - Photographed 2019
In 2019, I had the opportunity to photograph the Quadracci Pavilion, the iconic lakefront addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum designed by Santiago Calatrava. Completed in 2001, this sculptural building marked Calatrava’s first U.S. commission and quickly became one of the most recognizable architectural landmarks in the country.
The Pavilion is defined by its soaring, glass-walled atrium, Windhover Hall, and its dramatic Burke Brise Soleil, a 217-foot movable wing structure that opens and closes twice daily. Inspired by bird flight and nautical forms, the design harmonizes beautifully with its Lake Michigan surroundings, blending engineering, art, and architecture in a singular statement of civic identity.
Inside, light floods the vast atrium through floor-to-ceiling windows and a vaulted ceiling, creating a cathedral-like atmosphere meant to evoke both natural and spiritual wonder. Calatrava’s fusion of form and motion makes the Pavilion not just a building, but a living, kinetic sculpture.
Recognized with multiple honors, including Time Magazine’s Best Design of 2001 and the Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering—the Quadracci Pavilion remains a defining symbol of Milwaukee’s architectural and cultural landscape.
© 2019 jc buck
