The Guggenheim Opens Its Spiral to the Public
On October 21, 1959, the Solomon R.
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A New Museum Building
On October 21, 1959, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened its Frank Lloyd Wright building to the public in New York.
An Institution Before the Building
The foundation and its earlier exhibition spaces predated the famous spiral. The opening did not mark the first existence of either the collection or the organization.
Architecture Shapes Display
Curved walls and the building’s continuous spaces offered opportunities and difficulties for exhibiting art. The setting became part of how visitors encountered the works.
A Change for Curators
The museum’s exhibition records describe differences between earlier galleries and the new building. Installation was not simply a matter of moving identical pictures into identical rooms.
A Landmark in Use
The building’s importance is both visual and practical. Its anniversary can be understood through the relationship between a visitor’s movement, architectural form and the presentation of a collection.
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