TAKIYA タキヤ株式会社

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, opened in 1972 based on the collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, passionate art collectors and philanthropists. As a central institution within the Cultural District--America's largest arts district--the museum houses an exceptional collection spanning from the medieval to the modern era, including Michelangelo's earliest known work, paintings by El Greco, Velázquez, Gauguin, and Cézanne, as well as Chinese ink paintings from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Yet what has made the Kimbell internationally renowned is not only its collection, but the museum itself--its architecture. Designed by the late Louis Kahn, one of the great architects of the twentieth century, the museum stands among the masterpieces of his later years. In 2013, carrying forward Kahn's vision, contemporary master Renzo Piano added a new pavilion in dialogue with the original Kahn building. Together, the old and new structures quietly assert that a museum must itself embody beauty. It is, in every sense, a dialogue between two architects--a work of art in its own right.

When designing the new pavilion, Renzo Piano selected Takiya to develop the hanging hardware supporting the museum's collection. Beyond the structural strength required to secure heavy artworks, Takiya's commitment to refined form--even in components concealed behind the paintings--was highly regarded. Their products resonated with the discerning eye of an architect known for his uncompromising attention to detail.

Takiya's hardware was ultimately adopted not only in Piano's new pavilion, but also in the original Kahn building, leading to a collaborative project between the Kimbell Art Museum, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Takiya. In addition to Takiya's signature picture rail systems, original hardware was developed exclusively for the museum. Created through close collaboration with Piano's staff and the museum's curators, one of these fittings was named the "LD Hook," after the initials of Renzo Piano and the lead curator involved in its development. It remains one of the museum's hidden masterpieces.