Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan and The Chicago School : Solomon R. Guggenheim Memorial Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright

 Solomon R. Guggenheim Memorial Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright, (New York, New York); 1943 - 1959; Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan and The Chicago School

Swelling out towards the city of Manhattan, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was the last major project designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright between 1943 until it opened to the public in 1959, six months after his death, making it one of his longest works in creation along with one of his most popular projects. Completely contrasting the strict Manhattan city grid, the organic curves of the museum are a familiar landmark for tourists and neighbors.

The Building

Walking inside, a visitor's first intake is a huge atrium, rising 92' in height to an expansive glass dome. Along the sides of this atrium is a continuous ramp uncoiling upwards six stories for more than one-quarter of a mile, allowing for one floor to flow into another. The ramp also creates a procession in which a visitor experiences the art displayed along the walls as they climb upwards towards the sky.

The rotunda’s inverted ziggurat deviates from the conventional approach to museum design based around a series of interconnected rooms. Instead, visitors make their way through the rotunda on the gentle slope of a continuous ramp.

Wright’s open design affords viewers the possibility to see work on multiple levels at the same time, offering an unparalleled perspective on the presentation of an exhibition.

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.

The Architect

Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most prolific and renowned architects of the 20th century, a radical designer and intellectual who embraced new technologies and materials, pioneered do-it-yourself construction systems as well as avant-garde experimentation, and advanced original theories with regards to nature, urban planning, and social politics.

His visionary creations were strongly influenced by the natural world, and he emphasized craftsmanship while embracing technology’s ability to make design accessible to all.

Wright was also highly involved with the interiors of his buildings, creating furnishings and other custom elements such as stained-glass windows to enhance the overall design.

His most iconic structures, such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and Falling Water in Pennsylvania, are now designated as historic landmarks and attract visitors from around the world.

Sources

"Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterwork, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Memorial Museum." Architectural Forum, vol. 96, Apr. 1952, pp. 141-144.

Deitz, Paula. "Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum." Architectural Review, vol. 227, no. 1357, Mar. 2010, pp. 86-87.