Since its inception, the Upper East Side’s Guggenheim Museum has earned a reputation as the home of one of the world’s most expansive and influential collections of fine art. Philadelphia-born businessman and philanthropist Solomon Guggenheim founded the New York museum (originally called the Museum of Non-Objective Painting) in 1939 as a means of displaying his personal collection of art, and to promote the appreciation of modern art in his adopted city. The original museum, funded by Guggenheim’s personal foundation, was housed for a brief period on East 54th street before Guggenheim and his art advisor, artist Hilla von Rebay, decided that the growing collection would be best served by a larger space.
In 1943, Guggenheim and Rebay sought out famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a museum that would house the Guggenheim Foundation’s permanent collection. Despite Guggenheim and Rebay’s desire to expand the museum’s space, Wright’s vision for the museum would not be finished until 1959, a decade after Guggenheim’s death. Upon the completion of Wright’s winding spiral building, the ever-expanding Guggenheim collection was moved to its new location, housed between the ornate, luxury apartment buildings and townhouses that line Fifth Avenue between 88th and 89th streets, where it has remained ever since.
While the museum’s design, with its curved walls and windowless interior, was initially met with skepticism by some, the building’s unique architectural features, in addition to Guggenheim’s massive collection of notable art, drew artists and patrons alike. Now an integral part of New York’s Museum Mile, the museum houses works from artists including Maria Abramovic, Matthew Barney, Alexander Calder, Paul Cezanne, Marc Chagall, Edgar Degas, attracting millions of guests each year.
In addition to a notable permanent collection, the Guggenheim’s rotating exhibitions have become a major draw for visitors to the museum, with a diverse array of new work finding a temporary home in the museum’s hallowed halls every month. While the museum’s curatorial focus is staunchly geared toward the promotion of fine art, the Guggenheim routinely houses exhibitions consisting of everything from historical retrospectives to student art. The museum’s current exhibitions include, among others, visual meditations on Italian Futurism, paintings from Kandinsky’s time in Paris, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural blueprints.
If you are a lover of contemporary art, the Guggenheim promises to be worth your time.
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