The 'wings' of the Milwaukee Art Museum, explained

It stretches its wings up to the sky and encourages us to do the same.

The Burke Brise Soleil, commonly known as the wings of the Milwaukee Art Museum, is a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan, rivaling that of a Boeing 747 airplane.

Some say the wings look like sails full of wind, the mast of a ship, or a bird in flight.

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava designed the Brise Soleil and the rest of the 2001 art museum addition, known as the Quadracci Pavilion. He took inspiration partly from Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Brise Soleil and its 72 steel fins weigh 90 tons, but we’d never know by the way it smoothly and gracefully opens and closes its wings.

Weather permitting, the wings open when the museum does – as if they’re waving to welcome Milwaukee visitors – then flap at noon. They’re illuminated from sundown until they close at 10 p.m. And when the wind gets too strong, they’re smart enough to close like a cocoon.

At just over 20 years old, the wings are a relatively new addition to the city’s lakefront. But it’s already hard to imagine Milwaukee without them.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The 'wings' of the Milwaukee Art Museum, explained