The Solomon Guggenheim Museum began its existence almost a century ago. The first mentions date back to the first half of the 20th century. Robert Guggenheim was a major gold miner and magnate. Moving away from financial and commercial affairs, he became a philanthropist, created a fund and gave it his name.
About the founder
Guggenheim was not considered a great specialist in the field of sculpture and painting. However, this did not prevent him from being a connoisseur of beauty. For the Guggenheim, the Museum became one of the most important projects of his life. To select the first exhibits, the founder invited the famous German baroness, art historian and artist Hilla Ribay von Enrheinweissen. At that time, the first museums of New York began to appear.
Creating a vault
In 1939, the first Guggenheim collection appeared. The museum then occupied a small area. The collection is located in Manhattan. However, the number of exhibits quickly began to increase, so it was necessary to expand the area. For the construction of new premises in 1943, the famousFrank Wright. The construction of new premises was completed by 1959. By this time, neither Wright himself nor Guggenheim was alive. The museum was later completely renovated. In 1992, additional elements provided for in the project were completed. As a result, the building began to look like it does now.
Modernity
Today, Fifth Avenue in New York, between 88th and 89th streets, houses one of the most outstanding architectural masterpieces of the 20th century. The futuristic building is made in the form of an inverted tower. Visitors take the elevator to the topmost tier and, examining the exhibits, descend in a spiral. To date, the Guggenheim collection (the Museum has more than 6,000 exhibits), in the development of the concept of which, together with Baroness von Ribay, such artists as Bauer, Kandinsky, Nebel participated, is considered the world's largest collection of classical modernism. Among the exhibits there are works by Picasso, Miro, Beuys, Rauschenberg, Kandinsky, Rothko, Mark and other outstanding masters. The Guggenheim Museum (New York) also presents the famous collections of Hilda and Justin Tannhauser, consisting of works of early modernism, post-impressionism, as well as sculpture and painting by Katherine Dreyer (early avant-garde).
Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain)
This is one of the branches of the famous vault. The museum is located on the banks of the river. Nervion. This branch is famous for the most amazing collection of modernart. However, the building itself can be called a masterpiece. It is a truly unique and amazing structure.
Appearance
The museum building itself is covered with thin titanium plates. They look like fish scales. Periodically, the plates intersect with glass elements. All lines are smooth, and the forms are plastic. One circuit flows into another. The whole ensemble has a height of 50 meters and is filled with various reservoirs. The building itself looks like a huge sculpture in the background of the usual urban landscape. There are two giant sculptures in front of the museum. One of them is a huge metal spider. The author of this sculpture is Louise Bourgeois. On the terrace there is another figure 13 meters high - a flower terrier by artist J. Koons.
Architecture
The building itself, which houses the museum, was designed by American-Canadian master Frank Gehry. Visits have been possible since 1997. The construction of the museum almost immediately received the status of the most spectacular building in the style of deconstructivism in the world. The building embodies the abstract idea of a futuristic ship that could be used to travel to other planets. Sometimes the building is compared with a blossoming rose, artichoke, airplane, bird, and even Superman. The central part has a height of about 55 meters. It resembles a huge metal flower. Petals come off of it. They house a suite of exhibition spaces for different expositions.
Exhibitions
From the beginning of July to the end of August (during the peak tourist season), the museum is open from 10 am to 8 pm on all days of the week. In other seasons, Monday is a day off. The ticket price is 11 euros. Children can visit the museum for free. The museum in Bilbao receives about a million visitors every year. The exhibition presents works of postmodernism, as well as the modernist era. The collection contains a huge number of works. In fact, not a single direction of the 20th century was left without attention. At the same time, it must be said that the museum presents not only the actual paintings and sculptures. Here you can see a large number of electronic panels, installations and other wonders of modern art.
Exposure Features
The exhibitions in the museum are constantly changing. But at the same time, it is possible to conditionally divide the building into halls according to themes. So, for example, you can highlight the premises where the works of abstractionists and futurists are presented, headed by the creations of Kandinsky. There is a hall of surrealism. Here you can see paintings by Dali. Picasso's masterpieces are displayed in the Cubist Room. Here you can also look at the famous M. Monroe prints made by Warhol. Sculptures by Richard Seri deserve special attention. They are made of special weather-resistant steel. The collection is called "The Essence of Time". This original collection is a series of abstract works of artistic and philosophical nature, a kind of "non-objective space". In the main exhibitionThe museum presents a work made by the founder of "color field painting" Mark Rothko. He is a prominent representative of abstract expressionism. By the way, it should be said that Rothko's works beat all price records at the largest auctions. Presented in the museum and collages of the famous Robert Rauschenberg. His works are distinguished by saturation, fullness; they make you analyze and think.
