Page 48 - Contemporary Art and Old Masters

WORLD-CLASS ART SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

NEW YORK CIT Y
Explore the Guggenheim’s major global events

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Photo: David M. Heald
© The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to
promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through
exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications.
The international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao;
and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

An architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet, the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is now among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright
structures in the United States recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Although the space within the building is undeniably majestic and the building itself
monumental, it was not perfectly successful in terms of function. The curved walls of
the interior were intended so that paintings had to be tilted backward, ”as on the artist’s
easel.” This was unsuccessful because the paintings were still very difficult to display
because of the concavity of the walls, and because of this before its opening 21 artists
signed a letter protesting about their display of work in such a space.

48 WORLD of ART