theCLog

Today, Creative Loafing witnessed the unveiling of French artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s sculpture the “Firebird,” which sits at the plaza of Knight Theater and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art – set to open on January 2, 2010 in Uptown Charlotte. The sculpture, which is 17-feet and comprised of reflective mirrors, glass, and specs of color, is pretty damn impressive, too. (Just take a look at the photos below.)

Cyndee Patterson, board chair of Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; Heinz Roth, honorary consul of Switzerland; Urs Ziswiler, Switzerland ambassador to the United States; Andreas Bechtler, lead patron of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art; and John Boyer, president and CEO of Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, all spoke during the event.

CL also got a peek at the inside of the museum (see pics below), though sadly it doesn’t contain art just yet. When it does, the collection will feature mid-century modern art by an array of talented and well-known European and American artists, including Alberto Giacometti, Jean Tinguely, Le Corbusier, Niki De Saint Phalle, Sam Francis, Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso, Barbara Hepworth, Nicolas De Stael, and more.

The anticipation of the museum’s opening and its convenient location to other newbie venues devoted to the arts, such as the Knight Theater, Mint Museum Uptown (opening in October of 2010), and Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture, is enough to get one super giddy. Boy, we can’t wait.

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