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Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum

Frank O. Gehry, architect Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum 1993 University of Minnesota south side of building

What is surprising about the materials used in this building?

The Weisman exterior combines two materials: red brick and stainless steel. Red brick is also used in many buildings at the University of Minnesota around the Weisman.

The west side that you see here is mostly stainless steel.

Stainless steel is not an unusual material-you may have seen kitchen sinks or pots and pans made of stainless steel-but it is unusual for the outside of a building to be covered with stainless steel. Frank Gehry used it because it reflects the colors of the sky and its surroundings and because it is durable. He also liked the way thin sheets could be overlapped like fish scales, and the way the sheets make curves and small dents to create texture.