Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Essays

The Hidden History of the Guggenheim Museum June 8th marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America’s most iconic and celebrated architects. Here in New York City, Wright’s famed Guggenheim Museum stands along Museum Mile as one of his most well-known buildings. A masterpiece of modern architecture, the Guggenheim Museum is both an official New York City Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, signifying it’s architectural, cultural and historical importance. Few

Berlin, Germany The capital of Germany, Berlin is a cultural center that dates back to the 13th century. At one time it was a divided city and today it is well-known for its modern architecture, the art it offers and nightlife. Visitors can still see the graffiti covered remains of the Berlin Wall and one of its landmarks the Brandenburg Gate has become an iconic symbol of reunification. The Reichstag Building sits on the Mauerstreifen, the military zone that was between two sides of the Wall

To continue, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is often referred to as The Guggenheim. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum stands out in its surroundings. A passage in the book How Architecture Works: A Humanist’s Toolkit describes the way the museum looks to pedestrians “The first view for most pedestrians walking up Fifth Avenue is a tantalizing glimpse of a fragment of what appears to be a giant cream colored-colored

David Smith sought to provoke curiosity while creating his geometric stainless steel sculpture which measures at approximately 113 x 21 x 20 inches. This piece seems to have been made in a world that does not adhere to the same gravitational laws as ours. Initially, it comes across as a series of objects awkwardly put together that are doomed to fall with the slightest touch. However, eventually viewers will likely realize these objects should not be standing together at all and begin to wonder how

When walking by the Molecular Biology Building one can’t help but notice the sculptures that stand atop of it and wonder what they mean. Andrew Leicester, the creator the G-Nomes, likes his art to make the admirer think about what they are looking at and to make their own meaning “In modern society we expect instant understanding….” He did just that with the statues making the viewer think about what they are looking at instead of providing a straightforward answer ("University Museums-Art on Campus")

Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect and educator. He is considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, architects of all time and the pioneer of modern architecture. Born in Wisconsin in 1867, Wright’s career spanned from 1885 until 1959. During this time, he created an identity for American architecture, while rejecting borrowed designs such as Neoclassical and Victorian styles. He instead gave America its own identity in architecture, an identity that was unique, simple and

Frank Gehry “Some people may say my curved panels look like sails. Well, I am a sailor, so I guess I probably do use that metaphor in my work – though not consciously.” –Frank Gehry. Frank Gehry is well known for designing the abstract and astonishing architecture for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California. The objective of this concert hall is to give a “visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience” and “designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated

commissioned to build the Imperial Hotel. He created this hotel with much thought on protecting it from an earthquake and a fire. He created a pool in the front of the hotel as a source of water when a fire occurs. He placed soft soil under the foundation to provide as a cushion to when an earthquake strikes. These well thought-out parts in the structure and engineering of the Imperial Hotel helped it to survive the earthquake of 1823. It, however, did not survive

"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Henri Matisse (1869–1954). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 21 June 2015. . "Henri Matisse." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 20 June 2015. "Henri Matisse." Collection Online. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation (SRGF), 2015. Web. 21 June 2015.