Top 10 Amazing Facts about the Guggenheim Museum

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum by Jean-Christophe BENOIST – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Amazing Facts about the Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim Museum, as it is commonly referred to, is officially known as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. It not only stores art but is in itself a piece of art as well. The museum was established by and named after Solomon R. Guggenheim.

Identifying as an art museum, the building is home to an ever-expanding collection of various forms of art. In the museum are Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art with special exhibitions hosted periodically.

This American piece of architecture is located at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Below are some interesting facts about the Guggenheim Museum.

1. Began as The Museum of Non-Objective Painting

Guggenheim had been collecting old master artworks since the 1890s. Under Hilla von Rebay’s advice, whom he met in 1926, he switched his collection style to non-objective art. According to Rebay, European avant-garde art had a spiritual and utopian feel/aspect.

After collecting several pieces, he began displaying his collection. The display was done at his apartment in the Plaza Hotel in New York. In 1937, Guggenheim established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The foundation was created to foster modern art appreciation as the collection grew.

In 1939, with Rebay as the foundation’s director, the foundation opened the Museum of Non-Objective Painting. It was located at 24 East 54th Street in midtown Manhattan.

2. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, portrait, head and shoulders, facing right by Unknown author – Wikimedia Commons

As the collection grew, the need for a permanent museum became more and more important. In 1943, Guggenheim and Rebay wrote to Frank Lloyd Wright. The letter asked him to design a building to house and display the collection of art.

Wright was an American architect, designer, and educator having designed over 1,000 structures. Wright accepted the offer and was hired to design the building in June 1943.

His contract stipulated that he would receive a 10% commission on the project. The project was estimated to cost $1 million but ended up costing more than double.

3. There Were 4 Designs Produced

After getting the job in June 1943, Wright produced four different designs for the museum. One of the designs was a hexagonal shape with level floors for the galleries. The other designs had circular schemes and used a ramp that moved up and around the building.

4. The Museum’s Location Was Picked Due to its proximity to Central Park

Originally, the museum was supposed to be situated in lower Manhattan, at least that was Wright’s expectation. However, Rebay and Guggenheim considered several locations and properties in all of Manhattan.

One of these was the Riverdale section of the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River. However, in March 1944, they eventually acquired a site on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The current location is at the corner of 89th Street and the Museum Mile section of Fifth Avenue, overlooking Central Park.

Although smaller than what Wright had anticipated in his designs, this was the perfect spot due to its proximity to Central Park. Guggenheim felt that Central Park provided some peace and quiet away from the city’s noise and congestion. He was not wrong!

5. The Museum Took 15 years to complete

Photo of the construction taken on November 12, 1957, by Gottscho-Schleisner – Wikipedia

The designs of the building were announced in July 1945. However, due to World War II and increasing expenses after the war, the construction of the museum was delayed.

The delays only gave Wright more and more time to redesign the museum. Some designs were forced due to the increasing collection. Especially in 1948 when the collection greatly expanded following the purchase of art dealer Karl Nierendorf’s estate with 730 objects.

Wright also changed plans to include a basement theater for concerts as well as some details such as how the art would be displayed. After over 700 sketches and six sets of working drawings prepared, construction of the building began on august 14th 1956. It was soft-opened on October 20th, 1959 to members of the media.

6. Opened to Harsh Criticism

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan, New York, seen in September 2022 Epicgenius – Wikimedia Commons

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was panned by reviewers when it first debuted in 1959. It was criticized by one critic as “a conflict between painting and architecture, in which both come out horribly crippled.” “An indigestible hot cross bun,” said one person.

Robert Moses, the commissioner of NYC parks, described it as resembling “an inverted oatmeal dish.” But today, it’s one of the most cherished architectural symbols in New York City.

 7. Some Artists Protested the Display of Their Art in The Museum

Although the structure itself is huge and the Guggenheim space within it is magnificent, its functionality was not entirely successful. Despite this, museum officials argued that Wright’s design lacked sufficient storage or laboratory space. Wright redrew the building in 1955 to address this.

Due to the concave wall structure, it was particularly challenging to display the paintings. Sweeney painted the walls white against Wright’s wishes, and instead of hanging the paintings directly on the walls, he used metal bars to hang them. Due to this, 21 artists signed a letter before the space’s opening objecting to the presentation of their work there.

8. Several Movies Have been filmed at the Museum

Despite not receiving the best of receptions in the public’s eye, the Guggenheim Museum is passing the test of time. The building has become a national monument to be revered.

This, therefore, means it has cemented itself in modern culture. One way this can be seen is through the many high-profile movies that have been shot at the site.

These movies include When in Rome, Bye Bye Birdie, Woody Allen’s Manhattan, Men in Black, and The International. Fun Fact! One of the guards at the Guggenheim Museum was Robert De Niro Sr., the father of the movie star.

9. Unique Design

An interior view of the museum on a busy day by Wallygva – Wikipedia

Wright had originally intended to build a red marble facade, but George N. Cohen chose to utilize gunite in order to save money. There is a tiny red tile with Wright’s initials on the Guggenheim’s facade. A ceramicist was hired by the architect to create roughly 25 of these tiles.

The monitor area to the north, the bigger main gallery to the south, and a lecture hall below the main gallery make up the majority of Guggenheim’s interior. The bookstore is located to the east of the main entrance.

A cafe was erected during the refurbishment in the 1990s, to the south of the main rotunda. Wright created an open-air atrium with a helical ramp around the main gallery, which is also known as a rotunda.

10. Richard Armstrong Is the Current Director of The Museum

During its foundation, the first director of the museum was Hilla von Rebay. However, after Guggenheim’s death, Rebay disagreed with the foundation on the policy of the museum and she resigned in March 1952.

In October 1952, James Johnson Sweeney was appointed director. He resigned in 1960, months after the opening of the Museum citing philosophical differences with the board of trustees. H. H. Arnason took over as the museum’s temporary director and was soon replaced by Thomas M. Messer in January 1961.

Thomas Krens took over in 1988 after Messer retired in 1987. In 2005, Lisa Dennison was appointed to the position of director of the museum, reporting to Krens, who remained in charge of the foundation.

Richard Armstrong took over as the organization’s director in November 2008. In Mid-2022, Armstrong announced he would be resigning.