On October 21, 1959, thousands of people lined up to visit the newly built Guggenheim Museum on its debut day. Its insides held untold riches, its outside shaped like a strange, white mass of circles.
Upon retirement in the 1930s, Solomon R. Guggenheim began collecting modern art, slowly amassing a collection that he wished to display. In 1939, his dream began to come true, and he showed his collection publicly, from a car showroom in New York. As Guggenheim collected more pieces, his collection no longer fit in the showroom, and he had to look for larger space.
In 1943 Guggenheim contracted famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design an art museum that he referred to as a “temple of spirit.” His goal was to build a place that would allow people to see and appreciate art in a different way.
For the next 16 years, the museum was designed and built, opening a mere six months after Guggenheim’s death. Visitors flocked to the doors not only for the riches within, but to get a look at the building that they saw as art itself: one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest designs.
Today, the Guggenheim is a New York landmark and one of the most famous art museums in history. As you walk through, room flowing into room, you are surrounded by art all around you, truly creating the new experience that embodied Guggenheim and Wright’s vision.
