GAP founder plans museum

GAP founder plans museum

SAN FRANCISCO — The founder of Gap Inc. plans to build a vast museum near the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge to house his collection of contemporary art, much of which has remained hidden from public view.

Donald Fisher, 78, said that he hopes to erect the 100,000-square-foot museum in the Presidio, the one-time military base turned national park overlooking the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.

The collection of more than 1,000 pieces amassed by Fisher and his wife, Doris, includes work by such contemporary stalwarts as Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein and Gerhard Richter. Experts believe the collection could fetch more than $1 billion in today’s buoyant art market.

Fisher hopes to open the museum in three years. It first must undergo an environmental review and receive approval from the park’s board before going forward.

Actress is expecting

NEW YORK — Helena Bonham Carter is pregnant again.

The 41-year-old actress and her partner, Tim Burton, are expecting their second child together, her publicist, Karon Maskill, said Thursday. No other details were provided.

The couple have a 3-year-old son, Billy Raymond.

Bonham Carter stars as evil witch Bellatrix Lestrange in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth film adapted from J.K. Rowling’s wizarding saga.

She and Burton met during the filming of 2001’s “Planet of the Apes.” She has also worked with the 48-year-old director in “Big Fish,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the animated “Corpse Bride” and the upcoming “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” co-starring Johnny Depp.

Burton has also directed “Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed Wood” and “Beetlejuice.”

Today’s birthdays

Choreographer Michael Kidd is 88. Former Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., is 82. Country singer Porter Wagoner is 80. Actor George Hamilton is 68. Actress Jennifer Warren is 66. Rock singer-musician Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) is 58. Singer Kid Creole is 57. Jazz musician Pat Metheny is 53. Actor Sam J. Jones is 53. Actor Bruce Greenwood is 51. Country singer Danny Shirley is 51. Pop musician Roy Hay (Culture Club) is 46. Rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot is 44. Actor Peter Krause is 42. Tennis player Pete Sampras is 36. Actor Michael Ian Black is 36. Actress Rebecca Gayheart is 35. Actor Casey Affleck is 32. Rock musician Bill Uechi (Save Ferris) is 32. Actress Maggie Lawson is 27. Actress Dominique Swain is 27. Actress Imani Hakim (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 14.