In the building of the Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is one of the main attractions of New York. It represents a collection modern works artistic arts, which were created starting from the end of the 19th century

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In 1937, the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation was founded. From the very beginning of his activity, he was dedicated to collecting, preserving and presenting contemporary art and culture. The unspoken motto of the foundation was consistent avant-gardeism. The collection of paintings grew rapidly, and the need arose for a large room where masterpieces could be displayed contemporary art. As a result, a house on 54th Street in Manhattan was allocated for the museum.
Only six years passed and they had to turn to the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright for help with a request to build a large museum complex. Choosing an architect for the construction itself modern museum turned out to be very successful in the world. Frank Wright was also an avant-garde artist, a champion of organic architecture. New York was the least suitable place for implementing Wright's ideas: it was too crowded, skyscrapers stuck out everywhere, you couldn't turn around, there was no perspective... However, Guggenheim insisted on New York, and Wright had to submit to the customer's demands. The location for the museum was chosen between 88th and 89th streets, closer to Central Park, away from city noise and crowding.
It took decades for Wright's vision to come to fruition. While construction of the museum was underway, the architect managed to quarrel with everyone - Guggenheim, city authorities, journalists. Both Solomon Guggenheim and Wright died before construction was completed. When the extraordinary building was finally built, both of them were recognized as geniuses.
The master's flight of fancy exceeded all expectations; the museum building was put into operation in 1959 and created a complete sensation, because such a stylish and original building had never been seen in New York.
The Solomon Guggenheim Museum became the embodiment of Wright's ideas of organic architecture. Its enormous spiral resembles a mollusk shell, with interior spaces flowing freely into one another. There is no usual suite of museum halls here, where exhibits are arranged and hung in prim severity. The museum tour begins... from the top floor, where visitors take the elevator. From there they slowly walk down an inclined ramp. The museum halls are divided like orange slices, representing isolated but mutually dependent parts of the whole. An open courtyard - the atrium - makes it possible to simultaneously see different parts of the building.
According to Wright's original plan, the museum building was to be crowned with a round glass tower that would house artists' studios and apartments. Due to financial difficulties, this project was not implemented. In 1968, instead of the tower, a small reserve building was built. However, in the early 1990s. During the restoration, it was dismantled and, finally, the tower conceived by Wright was built. It houses four additional exhibition galleries.

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The Solomon Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art is the world's largest collection of paintings from the late 19th and 20th centuries. The gigantic spiral building, built without a single corner, was designed to accommodate as many paintings as possible. As a result, the museum itself has become perhaps a greater attraction of New York than the collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings stored in it.
Exhibitions
Along the spiral gallery, all sorts of exhibitions are held that have a loud resonance in the art world. Connoisseurs of beauty will long remember the thematic exhibitions that introduce the viewer to the art of entire civilizations. Among the most grandiose are “Africa: Art of the Continent” (1996), “China: Five Millennia” (1998) and “Aztec Empire” (2004). The exhibition is unique in its scale and artistic value in Russia. The exhibition offered viewers masterpieces Russian art from the 13th century to the present day, as well as world-class collections collected by Russian tsars and industrialists, works outstanding artists Kiprensky, Levitsky, Bryullov, Ivanov, Repin, Kramskoy, Ge, Vrubel, Serov, Malevich, Chagall, and others.
It must be said that the Guggenheim Foundation generally treats Russian art with great attention and respect. In this context, it is worth mentioning the New York exhibition “The Great Utopia: Russian and Soviet Avant-Garde, 1915-1932” (1992); “Amazons of the Russian Avant-Garde” (2000), which visited all European branches of the Museum. In June 2000, an agreement was signed between the Guggenheim Foundation and the Russian Ministry of Culture, within the framework of which the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum was opened in Las Vegas, which should become “a box where the most striking exhibits of both museums would be collected.” The goal of the collaboration is to bring the unique collections of both museums into the public domain by exchanging exhibitions. In addition, the parties intend to implement common projects in the field educational programs, in the publishing field, as well as on the Internet.
The museum houses the world's largest collection of contemporary art. It was based on collections of paintings collected by the brothers Solomon and Harry Guggenheim. Among the names presented here are Kandinsky, Arp, Bourgeois, Cezanne, Pollack, Rauschenberg, Serra, Warhol. In 1965 top floor The museum was updated due to the growth of collections, and after the restoration of the museum in 1990-1992. completely dedicated to exhibition halls.
The Guggenheim Museum in New York has the largest collection of paintings by Wassily Kandinsky.
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is one of the most provocative authors of our time. His hooligan, anarchist, anti-religious works are exhibited in best museums world, but for a while they all came together in a single exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in a retrospective with the simple but comprehensive title All Retrospective.

Museum branches
Branch in Venice;
Las Vegas branch;
Branch in Berlin;
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Spain;
Guggenheim Museum Abu Dhabi, (under construction);
Guggenheim Museum in Guadalajara, Mexico (under construction);
Guggenheim Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania (project).

Interesting Facts
The Solomon Guggenheim Museum has been used in the filming of such films as The International, Men in Black, Once Upon a Time in Rome, and Mr. Popper's Penguins. s Penguins).
The Guggenheim Museum currently attracts approximately three million visitors per year.

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The Guggenheim Museum in New York bears the name of its founder - a hereditary millionaire industrialist, collector and philanthropist, the son of a successful emigrant who came to Philadelphia from Switzerland. The building, clearly standing out from the surrounding buildings, is located in the most populous borough of Manhattan, on the Museum Mile of Fifth Avenue, between East 88 and 89 streets. permanent place, the museum had to use rented space for more than 20 years, while increasing its collection.

The site for the construction of a new building in the Art Nouveau style was chosen carefully and, in the end, it was decided that the Central Park in front of the facade would help protect against city noise and the appearance of concrete high-rise buildings opposite, but most importantly, it would give a feeling of freedom. Before this, several options were considered, including one facing the Hudson West Side Riverdale neighborhood in the Bronx borough.

Solomon Guggenheim Museum: history of creation

The first works acquired by the millionaire were works by Italian and French painters who worked in the era Early Renaissance, as well as paintings by American and French artists XIX century The formation of the collection began in the late 1920s, and in 1937 the non-profit Guggenheim Foundation was established, the main task of which was to support and popularize contemporary art.

A key role in developing the concept of the future museum collection was played by the German baroness, abstract artist and art critic Hilla von Ribey. The chosen direction - avant-garde - corresponded to her hobbies and interests of the Guggenheim. In subsequent years, the fund was replenished through donations and the acquisition of other collections from the contemporary art segment.

At first, Guggenheim exhibited his collection in various American museums. His goal was to familiarize his compatriots with the unusual work of abstractionists such as Mondrian, Kandinsky, Bauer, etc. In 1939, the Museum was opened at number 24, in the eastern part of 54th Street. non-objective painting. The first exhibition “Art of the Future” was held here in June of the same year. In 1952 it became known as the Guggenheim Museum.

An interesting fact is connected with Hilla von Ribay. She was a companion, artistic advisor and confidant of the Guggenheim, organizer of exhibitions, initiator of construction and discussion of the design of the new building, and the first director of the museum. Solomon listened to her advice, but Hilla’s relationship with the founder’s family did not work out. Soon after the death of her friend in 1949, the baroness was forced to leave her post. At that time, the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors was occupied by the son of the philanthropist, Harry. The cause of the incident was apparently the complex character of the artist and radical positions regarding further development museum. She was not invited to the opening of the new building on Fifth Avenue and never crossed its threshold. Hilla stopped appearing in public and practicing social activities. Last years Ribay spent at her estate in Connecticut.

Guggenheim Collections

The main fund of the museum consists of private collections, primarily Solomon Guggenheim himself, his niece Peggy, Justin Thannhauser, Karl Nierendorf, Giuseppe Panza di Biumo, Catherine Dreyer, etc.

After Hilla von Ribey left the museum, the Board of Directors approved the initiative of the new head of the museum to expand the collection by adding works that differed from the initially adopted concept. Thanks to this decision, today in the museum’s collection you can see works not only by abstractionists and avant-garde artists, but also by representatives of other areas of contemporary art:

• expressionists and post-impressionists;
• minimalists and post-minimalists;
• surrealists;
• conceptualists;
• modernists, etc.

In addition, the foundation has sculptural and photographic collections.

The permanent exhibition features works the most famous masters. Among them:

• Kandinsky;
• Mondrian;
• Picasso;
• Klee;
• Chagall;
• Leger;
• Kokoshka;
• Van Gogh and many others.

Despite the certain diversity of the museum collection, the collection represents a single whole. There is no division by specific mediums, time periods, or geographic coordinates.

Temporary exhibitions

The Foundation is engaged in exhibition activities. The Fifth Avenue building provides space for temporary exhibitions. On the other hand, visiting museum collections are traditionally exhibited in branches located in Bilbao, Venice and Berlin, and are also shown in other museums.

Initiatives and events

The museum hosts musical performances, performances, installations, film screenings, and lectures. Games, seminars, talk shows and excursions are organized here. There are training programs, master classes, courses for children and family studios. The calendar of events can be found on the official website.

Guggenheim Museum building in New York

During its existence, the collection changed its address several times. Due to a significant increase in the collection in the early 1940s, the museum moved from 54th Street to a townhouse at 1071 Fifth Avenue, where a new building subsequently appeared. During the period 1956-59. the collection temporarily occupied premises at No. 7 East 72nd Street.

The development of the project of an unusual structure was carried out by the most influential, according to the American Institute of Architects, and the most creative genius of American architecture, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the brilliant architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Hilla von Ribey approached him with a proposal to create a “temple-museum of non-objectivity” in 1943. From that moment until the official opening of the Guggenheim Museum building, 16 years passed. The delays were due to rising prices for Construction Materials V war time, the death of the founder and turmoil in management. In fact, construction of the facility began in 1956.

Before the final approval of the project, Wright proposed about seven different plans. The main goal was to create something unusual and special, so traditional museum models had to be abandoned. After the chosen project was unveiled, a wave of criticism arose - too bold, too ridiculous, completely inappropriate, terrible and inconvenient. However, years later it gave way to rave reviews.

Frank Lloyd Wright did not live to see the final completion of his most apotheotic object for several months. For wide range visitors, the new building opened its doors in 1959.

In the early 1990s, the facility was reconstructed and expanded with the construction of an additional tower. She was included by Wright in his project, but remained behind the scenes for 30 years. In the mid-2000s, a large-scale restoration of the facade was carried out.

Architecture

Externally, the snow-white, rounded building resembles an inverted spiral or a pyramidal tower. The interior space is an atrium surrounded by a continuous ramp and covered with a glass dome. This layout allows you to see what is happening on different levels the opposite side, and if desired, even communicate at a distance (but only in sign language!). The idea of ​​constructing a spiral rise without supporting columns came to the architect under the impression of the famous Vatican Moma staircase.

The structural forms of the structure are organic and plastic. They flow freely into each other. Wright explained that the symbolic meaning of his creation lies in infinity (circle), progress (spiral), structural unity (triangle) and integrity (square). All this, according to the architect, is somehow related to human feelings, mood and creativity.

According to the idea of ​​the author of the project, the inspection of the exhibitions was to begin from the top, where visitors could take an elevator. To get acquainted with the permanent and temporary collections, they had to go down a gentle slope. Unfortunately, this idea of ​​the architect remained unheeded.

Next to the described object is the Metropolitan Museum, which is definitely worth a visit.

Branches of the Guggenheim Museum

The Foundation is working to create a global network of contemporary art museums. It currently houses four Guggenheim museums:

• in NYC;
• in Venice (Italy) - founded in 1951;
• in Bilbao (Spain) - opened in 1997;
• in Berlin - opened in 1997

Previously operating branches in SoHo (Manhattan) and Las Vegas were closed in 2002 and 2008. Museum buildings are being built in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Guadalajara (Mexico). The plans include Vilnius (Lithuania), Helsinki (Finland), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Singapore and Hong Kong.

Working hours

The Guggenheim Museum in New York is open daily from 10:00 to 17:30. On Tue. and Sat. opening hours have been extended until 20:00. The ticket office closes half an hour earlier.

The store can be visited daily from 09:30 to 18:00. On Tue. and Sat. - until 20:30.

“Cafe 3” is open from 10:30 to 17:00, Tue. and Sat. - until 19:30. Its panoramic windows allow you to enjoy views of Central Park.

The Wright Bistro Restaurant serves American cuisine. Its doors are open Mon-Fri. from 11:30 to 15:30, and on Sat. and all — from 11:00 to 15:00.

Ticket prices

Cost of visiting the Guggenheim Museum in New York:

• for adults - $25;
• for students and people over 65 years old - $18;
• for children under 12 years old - free.

On Saturdays from 17:00 to 20:00 the museum holds a “free fee” promotion. At this time, the cost of entry is regulated by the visitors themselves. However, there is a recommended amount - $ 10. Payment for the promotion is made only in cash.

Tickets to the Solomon Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art

How to get to the Guggenheim Museum in New York

There are metro stations with the same name “86 Street” within a 10-15 minute walk. They are located along different sides Fifth Avenue:

• on Lexington Ave (east) - lines 4, 5, 6;
• on Central Park West (west) - lines A, B, C.

Almost opposite the main entrance to the museum there is a stop “5 Avenue/90 Street”. You can get there by buses M1, M2, M3, M4. The same routes continue to the Madison Avenue/89th Street stop, located on the street parallel to Fifth Avenue, a 3-minute walk from the Solomon Guggenheim Museum.

They work in New York mobile applications taxi Lyft, Uber, Via, Gett, Arro, Waave, etc.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art

This is perhaps the most unusual museum New York. From its inception, the Guggenheim Museum in New York has been dedicated to collecting, preserving and presenting to the general public the works of masters of modern art and culture. Consistent avant-gardeism became the unspoken motto of the Museum workers. Today's Guggenheim Museum collection includes a colossal amount of works of art from the end XIX century until now. The ellipse-like futuristic building of the Guggenheim Museum, which stands out bizarrely even against the backdrop of the “alien” Manhattan architecture, has long become a recognizable symbol of New York in itself.

The Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in New York dates back to 1937, when the “copper-coal king” and gold miner Solomon Robert Guggenheim, at the age of 58, decided to retire and began collecting art.

Guggenheim himself was by no means an expert in matters of painting and sculpture, so he turned for help to Hilla Ribey von Enreinweisen, a famous German baroness, artist and art critic. The union of money and love for art brought amazing results: by 1937, the need arose to organize an entire museum capable of housing the Guggenheim collection. So in 1937 the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation was founded, and art collection located in a house on 54th Street in Manhattan.

However, the collection grew, and the idea of ​​​​building a building began to hover in the air, which could, in the words of Hilla Ribay, become a new “temple of the spirit.” In June 1943, the Guggenheim Foundation commissioned the construction of a new museum building to the eminent architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright himself was not at all delighted with the order, since he did not consider densely built-up New York a suitable place for his new amazing creation. And the building was indeed extremely daring and original, so much so that even the abstract artists of those times refused to exhibit their work there. Externally, this structure still evokes admiration; it looks like an inverted pyramid or a towering spaceship. This final masterpiece by Wright is considered one of the most striking examples of architecture of the 20th century. Construction of the Museum building was completed in 1959, when neither Solomon Guggenheim nor Frank Lloyd Wright were alive.

It must be said that in creating the building, Wright moved away from the traditional museum structure, when visitors, viewing adjacent rooms, are forced to return the same way. At the Guggenheim Museum, viewers first take an elevator to the top floor, then go down a spiral ramp, exploring the exhibition as they go. The atrium, which is 400 meters long, is adjacent to six floors of halls, as well as new premises of the wing added to the main building in 1992.

The further development of the museum's collection and the philanthropic activities of the Guggenheim family led to the fact that in 1976 the Guggenheim Foundation received two galleries of contemporary art as a gift - in London and Venice, which became unique branches of the main museum. Today, the network of Guggenheim museums, in addition to the London and Venice galleries, includes the SoHo Museum in New York (1992), the Deutsche Guggenheim Museum in Berlin (1997), the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (1997), and two new museums in Las Vegas: Guggenheim Las Vegas and Guggenheim Hermitage.

Along the spiral gallery, all sorts of exhibitions are held that have a loud resonance in the art world. Connoisseurs of beauty will long remember the thematic exhibitions that introduce the viewer to the art of entire civilizations. Among the most ambitious are “Africa: The Art of a Continent” (1996), “China: Five Millennia” (1998) and “The Aztec Empire” (2004).

IN thematic concept, promoted by the Museum, fits and is unique in its scale and artistic significance exhibition “Russia!” (2005). This exhibition is difficult to describe in one paragraph; it certainly deserves a separate article. However, if you make its announcement in the American way quickly and brightly, then “Russia!” - this is a light green background of walls in the spirit of a “communal apartment” by designer Jean Grange, the presence at the presentation of V. Putin, and 240 Russian masterpieces, from ancient icons to social art, on a spiral Wright ramp, which are nowhere else, never and under no circumstances could not gather under one roof.

It must be said that the Guggenheim Foundation generally treats Russian art with great attention and respect. In this context, it is worth mentioning the New York exhibition “The Great Utopia: Russian and Soviet Avant-Garde, 1915-1932”, 1992; “Amazons of the Russian Avant-Garde”, 2000, which visited all European branches of the Museum. In June 2000, an agreement was signed between the Guggenheim Foundation and the Russian Ministry of Culture, within the framework of which the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum was opened in Las Vegas, which should become “a box where the most striking exhibits of both museums would be collected.” The goal of the collaboration is to bring the unique collections of both museums into the public domain by exchanging exhibitions. In addition, the parties intend to implement common projects in the field of educational programs, in the publishing field, as well as on the Internet.

Today's Solomon Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art is the world's largest collection of paintings from the late 19th and 20th centuries. This treasury is modern both in its surreal appearance and in the content of the works present in its collections. Among the names represented in the Museum are Kandinsky, Tannhauser, Chagall, Arp, Bourgeois, Nierendorf, Cezanne, Pollack, Rauschenberg, Dreyer, Serra, Warhol, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Klee, Picasso, Rousseau, Giacometti, Brancusa, Miro, Léger, Delaunay , Goncharova and Rothko. In total, the museum houses more than six thousand masterpieces of the classics of the last century.

The Guggenheim Museum (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum) is located at 1071 Fifth Avenue, near 89th Street. 86th Street Subway Station, train lines 4, 5, 6. The museum is open to the public on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 17:45, on Friday from 10:00 to 20:00 . Price full ticket- $18, tickets for students and pensioners - $15. More complete information can be obtained by calling in New York 1 212 423 35 00, or on the museum’s website

One of the most unusual and invariably arousing interest among tourists is the big city USA is the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York. The exhibition of this rich collection of art objects includes best works artists and sculptors from all over the world.

History of creation

Despite its relative youth, the Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in New York has a colossal collection of art objects that were created by our contemporaries.

The founder of the museum is Solomon Guggenheim. At the beginning of his activity, this man was engaged in business, his property was a large number of mines for the extraction of coal, copper and gold. However, at an advanced age, having accumulated substantial capital, Guggenheim decided to retire from business and devote his free time to collecting art.

Since the businessman himself was not an art critic, he began working with his friend, the famous German art specialist Hilla Ribay. The collaboration between the two old friends was very fruitful; the collection of art objects grew rapidly and was regularly replenished with new priceless exhibits.

Since even the spacious Guggenheim mansion could not accommodate the entire collection over time, the businessman began to think about organizing his own museum. A very suitable building was purchased, located on 59th Street in New York. But quite quickly this building became too small to house the entire collection. Therefore, in 1943, Guggenheim decided to build a separate building for the exhibition of collected paintings.

Since the main direction of the collection was modern avant-garde art, then it was decided to build the building according to unusual project. The fashionable architect of the time, Frank L. Wright, undertook to bring the unusual idea to life. The architect's flight of fancy surpassed all revivals; the design of a new museum building in the form of a cone placed on top created a great sensation. From the outside, the main building of the museum resembles a tornado swirling into a funnel, but inside it is perfectly suited for displaying art objects.

The architecture of the building is so unusual that even today it is considered one of the most amazing buildings in the world. Photos of the external appearance of this architectural masterpiece and the laconic interior are striking in their clean lines and upward tendency. White color buildings, the atrium's glass ceiling and huge windows allow light to enter the building, creating the most favorable conditions for viewing art.

Vanguard architectural style did not immediately find understanding among his contemporaries; some artists hesitated for a long time to hold their vernissages in such an unusual building.

Construction of the building lasted more than 15 years, it was completed only in October 1959, by which time both the architect Wright and the founder of the museum had already passed away.

Exposition

To view the exhibition, museum visitors are invited to take the elevator to the top floor. Guests can then descend along a spiral line that follows the contour of the huge atrium. Paintings and other works of art are arranged so that visitors can view them from different angles as they walk through the “snail.”

Next to the main hall there are two extensions (one of them was built quite recently - in 1992). These extensions house administrative offices and separate exhibition rooms.

The exhibition presents works of artists, sculptors and applied arts 19th and 20th centuries, the most valuable exhibits are paintings by such famous masters of brushes as Léger, Chagall, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Picasso, etc. The collection of museum exhibits includes more than 6 thousand masterpieces of modern art.

In the exhibition halls of the extensions it is presented permanent exhibition, composed of the most valuable exhibits of the museum. And in the “snail” building, changing exhibitions are updated annually. Worldwide success had the following exhibitions:

• Art of the “black” continent (collection of works of art from Africa);

• Five thousand years of Chinese art;

• Ancient Aztec Art;

• Art of Russia. The exhibition featured 240 works by Russian artists.

Opening hours and address

The Guggenheim Museum is located in a very picturesque location of the largest city in the United States. This is a site located between 88th and 89th streets near Central Park, the exact address is 1071 5th Ave. You can get there by taxi or by metro, going to the 86th Street station.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; on Saturdays, opening hours are extended by two hours. The day off is Thursday; the museum is also closed on official holidays.

IN usual time The ticket price is $18, but on Saturday, from 5:45 p.m. until closing time at 7:45 p.m., visitors can enter the museum for whatever amount they see fit. However, at this time, to get into the museum you will have to stand in a long line.

You can view the exhibition presented at the Guggenheim Museum completely free of charge during the Museum Mile festival held every year. This event is very popular among residents and visitors of New York, so at this time all the city's museums are full of visitors.

The Guggenheim Museum has several branches. Two branches of the museum are located in Las Vegas, in addition, there are branches in Venice, Berlin, London and Bilbao (Spain).

The Solomon Guggenheim Museum, on Fifth Avenue, is one of the largest and most famous collections of contemporary art in the world. His story is shining example the possibilities of private initiative, inspired by the love of art.

The museum was founded by a very wealthy businessman, collector and philanthropist Solomon Guggenheim. The scion of an immigrant family that made a fortune in lead, silver and copper mines, Solomon mined gold in Alaska. IN late XIX century, this workaholic, who worked around the clock, began collecting works of old masters. After World War I, he left the business to concentrate on collecting. A decisive role in the formation of Guggenheim’s views was played by a meeting with the German artist Baroness Hilla von Ribey, who introduced the philanthropist to abstract art. An avid collector herself, she became a friend and advisor to Guggenheim, who henceforth devoted his life to collecting modern art.

In 1937, the philanthropist founded the Guggenheim Foundation, and two years later opened his first “Museum of Non-Objective Painting” in a rented apartment in Manhattan. His collection already included paintings by Kandinsky, Mondrian, Chagall, Léger, and Picasso. The collection grew rapidly, and in 1943 Hilla Ribay approached the great Frank Lloyd Wright with a request to design a special building for the museum. Wright took this idea very seriously. Work on the project lasted 15 years, and the museum building was opened in October 1959, after the death of the architect. Guggenheim himself did not see the museum either: he died in the late forties.

Wright created a cylindrical building in the center of Manhattan, expanding upward, which he interpreted as a “temple of the spirit.” According to the architect's plan, museum visitors must first take an elevator to the roof of the building, and then go down along a continuous spiral ramp, examining the exhibition along the way. Public opinion did not immediately accept Wright's idea. Artists even signed petitions against the “corkscrew” design.

However, the museum is now visited by approximately three million people a year. It has first-class collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, non-figurative painting and sculpture. Here you can see the works of modernist sculptors - Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp, Alexander Calder (the founder of kinetic sculpture), Alberto Giacometti. At the same time, the museum has true masterpieces by Paul Gauguin (“Man and Horse”), Edouard Manet (“Before the Mirror,” “Woman in an Evening Dress”), Camille Pizarro (“The Hermitage at Pontoise”), Vincent Van Gogh (“ Snowy landscape", "Mountains in Saint-Remy"), Pablo Picasso ("Fourteenth of July", "Three Bathers"). The local collection includes about 150 works by Wassily Kandinsky.

Unlike many museums, the Guggenheim does not divide its collection into sections dedicated to eras and styles. The collection is conceived and exhibited as a single whole, which is constantly replenished with works of new talents - often paradoxical.