Guggenheim

In New York, north from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along Fifth Avenue East, from 82nd Street to 104th Street, more than 20 blocks, all kinds of museums row upon row. This is commonly known as " One Museum Mile." On the northeast corner of the 88th street junction, there is a white building. Measured by Manhattan standards, the size of the building is not large, but surviving in the old-fashioned building community, it is a heterogeneous; inverted spiral body shape, like a circle of well-rounded apple peel, round the diameter of From top to bottom, decrease gradually. The building is best described as an art center, which harbors an ever-expanding collection of impressionists, post-impressionists, as well as contemporary and modern pieces of art. The Guggenheim or the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is an exceptional masterpiece along 1071 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York. The museum founded and established in 1939 by Solomon Guggenheim opened under the title “Museum of Non-Objective Painting.”It was later commissioned by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1943, whose task was to help its then director Hilla Von Rebay to move it from the rented space to a permanent location.

The building was named after its founder in 1952 when Solomon R. Guggenheim died. While commissioning the building Rebay gave Wright specific instructions that she needed a facility that would enhance the reception and the viewership of modern art collections.  For a whole year, Wright developed and tested designs, which he thought would fit the requirements of his client. The resulted in four sketches, one with a hexagonal shape and the others with a circular continuous ramp, also known as nautilus shell. As it appears, the circular design was the most appealing.

The final structure encompassed an impeccable cylindrical design, which widens as it goes up and characterized by a unique ramp, extending from the ground level in a winding and continuous spiral from its exterior boundaries. Embracing the spirit of a museum as advised, the designer dispensed a building with an interior that enabled the visitors to walk all the way to the top through a series of interconnected rooms, which necessitated a retrace of steps on the way out. It had an open rotunda, which made it possible for viewers to access several bays and the entire building while interacting with other visitors from various levels. In 1992, an extra piece (adjoining tower) was added to the original design. The building also witnessed additional face-lifts between 2005 and 2008. Guggenheim, the building itself is an exhibit.

Works Cited

Rudenstine, Angelica Zander. The Guggenheim Museum Collection: Paintings, 1880-1945. Vol.

2. Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, 1976.

Quinan, Jack. "Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum: A Historian's Report." Journal of

The Society Of Architectural Historians 52.4 (1993): 466-482.