Saturday, January 21, 2017, marks the 55th anniversary of the public opening of the Albright-Knox's 1962 Building, which was designed by Gordon Bunshaft. On Sunday, January 21, 1962, at 2 pm, all of the museum’s new facilities officially opened to the public, which attracted nearly 7,000 visitors. Approximately 350 artworks from the museum’s collection were on view.
The opening weekend presented events for Albright-Knox Members, scholars, and the local community. The public opening was preceded by a Centennial Ball on Friday, January 20. The official opening for the Albright-Knox Members took place on Saturday, January 20, with morning and afternoon symposium sessions held at SUNY Buffalo State and later broadcast on local radio station WBEN.
The total attendance at the museum during the calendar year 1962 was more than 780,000—a total five times greater than that for any previous year. In proportion to city population, no other museum in the world had an attendance record to rival the Albright-Knox.
Visitors with Albert Bierstadt's The Marina Piccola, Capri, 1859, in the background. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Visitors with Sam Francis's Blue-Black, 1952. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Visitors in the West Corridor of the 1962 Building with works by Matisse, Modigliani, Soutine, and de Chirico in the background. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Visitors with Karel Appel's Fire World, 1957. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Visitors with Henry Moore's Internal and External Forms, 1953–54, in the foreground. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
Visitors in the 1962 Building. Image courtesy of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Digital Assets Collection and Archives.
