Outed by Bloomberg’s James Tarmy, Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu have now gone to the New York Times to answer some of the questions raised by their new museum artspace project. Originally envisioned as an extension of their newly designed weekend estate, opposition from neighbors forced the creation of the new space to be called Magazzino (or Warehouse, in Italian.)

Although the space is privately financed and does not come under the rules for foundations, it will not be open to the public (except by appointment,) the Times reveals:

“We take pride in saying that we are independent and we want to remain independent,” said Mr. Spanu, who was born in Sardinia but has lived in the United States for almost 30 years. “We want the possibility to share in our own way,” making the collection “available to students and scholars and the public.”

Work has been underway on the imposing 20,000-square-foot structure in the Hudson Valley, where the couple also has a home. The space, which includes a vast library, will have year-round programming, and will be free and open to the public by appointment.

You Don’t Know What Arte Povera Is? They Can Change That  (The New York Times)