City: Charlotte, NC

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (704) 353-9200

Address: 420 South Tryon St.

Description: The Charlotte arts scene took a quantum leap forward with the opening of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in January 2010. The Bechtler is a key component of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus in Uptown. More important, it gives Charlotte the type of museum usually reserved for larger cities like Chicago or New York. Furthermore, it is the only 20th-century modern art museum in the Southeast.So how did the Queen City land this crown jewel? In a way, it can thank its textiles heritage. Hans and Bessie Bechtler were Swiss collectors of art who also owned stock in a textile machine company that had a plant in Charlotte. The Bechtlers were intrigued by modern art, mostly European, which made sense because they lived there. That love of modern art was passed to their son, Andreas, who moved to Charlotte in 1979. Eventually Andreas inherited the family’s 1,400-piece collection and was interested in displaying this treasure trove in some fashion. Local arts leaders convinced Bechtler to base his collection in a museum at the Uptown cultural campus and he agreed, as long as his friend—noted Swiss architect Mario Botta—designed the building.The result of Botta’s vision is a distinct building with a striking earth tone exterior of terra cotta tiles. At street level, visitors are struck by its cantilevered gallery that hangs over a terrace anchored by a swelling column set in the middle. A glass-and-mirror Phoenix statue on the terrace is quickly becoming a Charlotte icon.Once inside, visitors take the elevator (or stairs) to galleries on the second, third, and fourth floors that are pierced by a soaring, light-filled atrium. Exhibits from the massive collection rotate at various points throughout the year. Artists include Jean Tinguely, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miro, Edgar Degas, Georges Rouault, Max Ernst, Barbara Hepworth, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso. Many of the works were produced by artists associated with the School of Paris, a loosely connected group who lived and worked in Paris after World War II.Adding to the aura of the Bechtler is the fact that very few of these works had been seen in the United States prior to the opening of this $20-million museum.The Bechtler is closed on Tues, and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every other day of the week, except Sun, when it is open noon to 5 p.m. Admission fee is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, educators and college students, and $4 for ages 11-18. There is no charge for children age 10 and under.