October 2012 | Eyesore

Architectural Abortions from the USA and Around the World (And Sometimes Other Miscellany Infecting the Landscape)

The architect of this addition to Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum, Mels Crouwel, dubbed his creation "the Bathtub." Actually, it looks more like what we in America would call a laundry sink. In any case, it does a splendid job of disfiguring the street. Because the exterior is finished in special aviation paint, it will probably not be maintained over the years. And surely the time will come when it will require attention. But the long-term life of buildings is not a concern for an architectural establishment engrossed in egotistical stunts. And they are fully supported in that endeavor by an art establishment lost in the greater wilderness of asthetic narcissism. When the time comes that the bankers are hanged from lamposts, this block should be reserved for the architects.