The famous city of New York is home to a wide variety of thrilling museum experiences. These institutions hold thousands of pieces of priceless art, attracting millions of visitors from all over the world. From the Museum of Modern Art to the popular American Museum of Natural History, New York’s museums provide a magnificent glimpse into the art and culture of the past and present.
Among these world-famous museums is the Guggenheim Museun, an institution that has consistently provided the Big Apple with a series of spectacular art collections. Tunde Folawiyo and others with a love for the city of New York may regard the works of the Guggenheim as some of the most notable in the world.
The Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation opened its first NYC-based location for displaying art, the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, in 1937. William Muschenheim designed the building under the director of the museum, Hilla Rebay. Built on East Fifth-Fourth Street in Manhattan, the museum would provide visitors with a variety of exceptional works by the likes of Kandinsky.
By the beginning of the 1940s, Solomon had amassed a great number of avant-garde works, prompting the need for a permanent building to hold these paintings. The museum’s mission was to display the most significant pieces of non-objective works. These included Composition 8 by Kandinsky and Simultaneous Windows by Robert Delaunay. By 1948, the Foundation’s collection had expanded by over 730 objects upon its acquisition of Karl Nierendorf’s entire estate. This would prove a highly significant time in the history of the institution’s exceptional collections.
In 1953 the Guggenheim’s collection stretched further under the direction of James Sweeney. It was during his time as director that the museum acquired Brancusi’s famous Adam & Eve. With this, magnificent works by modernist sculptors followed. Sweeney was also responsible for the idea that the Guggenheim’s collection should be reserved for only 20th century works, a principle solidified with the museum’s acquisition of a piece by Paul Cezanne in 1954. Since then, the Guggenheim’s walls continue to display an array of visually stunning creative works focusing on the great creative talents of the 20th century.
Tunde Folawiyo and others throughout the world with an appreciation for fine art may continue to regard the Guggenheim as a beacon for creativity. As New York remains at the forefront of arts and culture in the United States, art lovers will continue to flock to the city to bask in the famous works of art held at this treasured American institution.