What’s Happening: The Pritzker Prize laureate reveals an extension to his Museu Serralves that houses a vast trove of sketches, models, paintings, and notes from his seven-decade oeuvre. It’s even shaped like one of his sculptures.

The Download: In a 1986 profile, Casabella magazine likened Álvaro Siza’s architecture to “the unfolding of an authentic design adventure.” Decades later, even after the Portuguese architect and Pritzker Prize laureate turned 90 years old, he still creates buildings with freedom and freshness. Look no further than the newly opened wing of Museu Serralves, the Porto museum he designed in 1999 and to which he added a series of expansions within Serralves Park—the Manoel de Oliveira Cinema House, the Gardeners’ House, and the Serralves Art Déco Villa—in the years since. The new three-story wing gracefully juts out of the original structure in a branch-like form, signifying the once-obscure Siza’s global influence and a natural evolution for the museum, which expands its gallery space by 50 percent.

Designed in the same white-washed reinforced concrete as the original building, the newly christened Álvaro Siza Wing adjoins so seamlessly that visitors may not even realize they’ve wandered into the addition. They may also be entranced by playfully placed windows streaming in warm rays of sunlight that strategically avoid sensitive artworks. An abundance are on display, from a selection that museum director Philippe Vergne pulled from the permanent collection to the groundbreaking “Coleção Álvaro Siza, Arquivo,” which brings seven decades of his work to light. It encompasses more than 800 drawings, sculptures, and paintings that elucidate his idiosyncratic approach to projects both finished and unfinished, ranging from the Expo ’98 Portuguese National Pavilion to the Centro Paroquial church in his hometown of Matosinhos. Models seemingly float like apparitions mid-gallery thanks to mirrored plinths.

The show reveals a side of Siza that even the most seasoned connoisseurs may have never seen. Thanks to a donation from his sister Teresa and collaborator Carlos Castanheiro, some of the architect’s earliest paintings are on view; they span expressive portraits of his relatives to dreamy pastoral scenes that lend context to the scope of his architecture. Timber sculptures, not unlike the gestural figures he showed at the Vatican City pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale, reveal how his architecture and art practices intertwine—one even resembles the new wing’s footprint from a bird’s-eye view. In August, when the show closes, the galleries will present architecture-themed exhibitions in perpetuity, but his vast archive will remain on the lowest level.

In Their Own Words: “With a wing dedicated to the Permanent Collection and Architecture, the Serralves Museum is more than ever an institution where the present is fully activated and where the recent past is settled and decanted,” Vergne says. “It allows the institution to fully take responsibility for its history and legacy, as well as for its role as the leading institution in Portugal dedicated to the history and the present of contemporary art and culture.”

Surface Says: Siza planned to donate his archive to the Canadian Centre for Architecture, but agreed to keep it close to home if he could design the expansion to his standards. That’s only for him to say, but it certainly exceeded our expectations.

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On March 27, the second edition of Surface’s monthly art and culture dinners hosted by notable creatives will take place at Mostrador in Tribeca. Shannon Maldonado, the founder of Philadelphia’s boutique hotel, lifestyle destination, and design studio Yowie will join Surface as the evening’s host. Every aspect of the gathering, from the guest list to key partners, is tailored to foster community and connectivity among leading artists, designers, and food and drink culture.

See the highlights from our inaugural gathering on Feb. 29, with Fernando Mastrangelo, and reach out now to learn more about partnership opportunities.

Back in 2007, Smith & Mills’ 450 square-foot, studio-sized space was heralded as the next big thing, even if it was located in “the Tribeca nether lands.” Almost a full 17 years later, not too much has changed, save for a significantly expanded footprint at founders Matt Abramcyk and Akiva Elstein’s new Rockefeller Center outpost of the Tribeca original. The duo collaborated with architecture firm Woods Bagot on the space, which teems with indulgent finishes in the form of ample black zellige ceramic tiles, oxblood velvet banquettes, white marble bistro and dining tables, and antique painted black pendant lighting by the late designer Christian Dell.

The overall effect is fitting with Rockefeller Center’s Art Deco grandeur in mind, and carries through to the menu and drinks selection. Elevated bar snacks include a chicken liver mousse crostini and chicken croquettes served with prosciutto and black pepper aioli. Though the raw bar stays firmly modern—no seafood towers to see here—it does offer a grand plate of fruits de mer which includes oysters from both coasts, local littleneck clams, tuna tartare, ceviche, and a shrimp cocktail. Scarf it all down with a winter chicory salad of bitter greens and a trio of mini martinis for good measure.

Jeffrey Beers, a luminary in the realm of hospitality design, left an indelible mark on the industry. As the founder and guiding spirit of Jeffrey Beers International (JBI), his innovative approach and artistic flair transformed spaces into the most memorable experiences, investing Modernist gestures with emotional depth. Before launching his influential namesake firm, he learned from the best. He studied architecture at RISD and learned glassblowing under Dale Chihuly. The recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, he traveled to Brazil to apprentice for Oscar Niemeyer before returning to New York City to work in the office of the late I.M. Pei.

That may explain why Beers’ career was punctuated by a multitude of high-profile projects, especially in the hospitality sphere. JBI notably revitalized the latest iteration of chef Daniel Boulud’s award-winning Café Boulud, helped bring the long-delayed Fontainebleau Las Vegas to life, and imbued New York City’s Hard Rock Hotel with high-octane flair. Each varies widely in mood and ambience, proving his firm’s deft touch and prolific reach. JBI’s newly appointed partners Tim Rooney, Nora Liu-Kanter, and Michael Pandolfi will lead the firm in his absence, but his legacy will be etched in the vibrant interiors and transformative spaces he leaves behind.

Creative director Maximilian Davis may have truncated the name of the Italian fashion house, but for its recently unveiled Milan boutique, both he and designer Vincent Van Duysen referenced the late founder. Striking slabs of red marble, Salvatore’s favorite color, complement the store’s palette of Venetian stucco and stone floors rendered in warm off-white tones. The softer finishes help bolder moments, such as the red marble, color-blocked marble tables created by designer Andrea Anastasio, and an oceanic ceramic and glass table from Andrea Mancuso and design studio Analogia Project​, stand out.

Elsewhere in the space, vaulted ceilings evoke the architecture’s deep history: the shop is located within 15th-century Palazzo Carcassola Grandi. The railroad-style interior now features extravagances for the modern age, including a room dedicated to silks, as well as a “lounge” for “relaxing and conversation” between fittings in the shop’s changing rooms.

When: March 23–Sept. 1

Where: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany

What: Energy—its production, consumption, and its role in the planet’s future—is the subject of the Vitra Design Museum’s upcoming group exhibition. The show features 27 works by as many artists and designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Ed Kashi, and Marjan van Aubel to critically examine the role designers can play in an increasingly pressing transformation of the energy sector. Although everything from news coverage to everyday conversations on this subject can seem steeped in doom and gloom, curator Jochen Eisenbrand accentuates the collaboration, innovation, and progress made by talents across time and place towards this shared goal.

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Bend Goods is a Los Angeles furniture design and manufacturing company committed to designing innovative and playful products. Founded in 2010 by Gaurav Nanda, Bend was derived from Nanda’s passion for making functional yet sculptural objects. Inspired by the midcentury era, the line includes pieces made of wire, upholstery, and wood.

Surface Says: We love how Bend Goods taps serious historical references to inspire their vibrant, colorful collection. We can’t help but admire the levity that permeates their wide array of pieces.

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