Mark Gunderson is an architect in Fort Worth and a friend of Sharon’s brother and family. He is a major student of and champion for the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. The Kimbell Family Trust relies on him for architectural review and suggestions when projects related to the Kimbell Museum come up for review. Louis Kahn, architect of the Kimbell, is unarguably one of America’s foremost architects (certainly as significant as Frank Lloyd Wright). His Salk Institute in La Jolla is one of the world’s most revered buildings. The Kimbell Museum was built after the Salk and is one of the world’s great, jewels of a museum. Mark knows Kahn’s approach and the smallest details of the building’s construction in all, from its hardware to spirit. He was a consultant to the movie “My Architect” which was a story about Kahn told by Kahn’s son.Mark is also a long time student of Tadao Ando, the Japanese architect who designed the new Fort Worth Modern Art Museum. He knows that building and the siting which goes into the whole area that includes the Kimbell, the Modern, and the Amon Carter Museum(an early Philip Johnson design). The large quad that these three institutions occupy is a knock-out combination of world class architecture. Having only four hours of time, Mark was only able to take us through the Kimbell and the Modern. What a day!!!!! To have an intimate portrayal of the buildings coupled with his understanding, love and insight into the art within them – well, it was as important an experience as I can remember. The Kimbell is a small museum with a collection of under 500 works. They have bought and sold within the collection in order to focus the holdings to the finest objects obtainable. So it is really a wonderfully focused collection. Not each is perfect – but there is substantial excellence particularly in archaic objects from the native Americas(Maya, Peru, Central America) and in European paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries (notably Dutch and Italian). For me the main experience was to be in Kahn’s exacting and precise building. It is built like a fine Swiss watch but has the passion of a great French Champagne. Mark’s explanation of the building and its cardinal mathematical features was too tremendous and detailed for me to re-tell.