The Solomon Guggenheim Museum began its existence almost a century ago. The first records date back to the first half of the 20th century. Robert Guggenheim was a major gold producer and tycoon. Moving away from financial and commercial affairs, he became a philanthropist, created a fund and gave him 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 Museum became one of the most important projects of his life. To select the first exhibits, the founder invited the famous German baroness - art critic and artist Hill Ribei von Enreinweisen. While the first museums of New York began to appear.
Storage creation
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 began to increase quite quickly, so the expansion of space was required. For the construction of new premises in 1943, the famous architect Frank Wright was appointed chief architect. The construction of new premises was completed by 1959. By this time, neither Wright himself nor the Guggenheim were alive. The museum was subsequently completely renovated. In 1992, additional elements provided for in the project were completed. As a result, the building began to look like it is now.
Modernity
Today, on Fifth Avenue in New York, between 88th and 89th Streets, is one of the most outstanding architectural masterpieces of the 20th century. Futuristic building made in the form of an inverted tower. Visitors take the elevator to the top tier and, inspecting the exhibits, spiral down. Today, the Guggenheim collection (the Museum has more than 6,000 exhibits), the development of the concept of which, together with Baroness von Ribei, was attended by such artists as Bauer, Kandinsky, Nebel, is considered the largest collection of classical modernism in the world. Among the exhibits there are works by Picasso, Miro, Boyce, Rauschenberg, Kandinsky, Rothko, Mark and other outstanding masters. The Guggenheim Museum (New York) presents the famous collections of Hilda and Justin Tannhauser, consisting of works of early modernism, post-Impressionism, as well as sculptures and paintings by Katerina Dreyer (early avant-garde).
Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain)
This is one of the branches of the famous repository. The museum is located on the banks of the river. Nervion. This branch is famous for the most stunning collection of contemporary art. However, the building itself can be called a masterpiece. It is a truly unique and amazing building.
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 shapes are plastic. Some circuits flow into others. The entire ensemble has a height of 50 meters and is filled with various ponds. The building itself looks like a huge sculpture against the backdrop of a familiar city 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 - the flower terrier of the artist J. Koons.
Architecture
The building itself, in which the museum is located, was designed by the American-Canadian craftsman 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 construction 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 depart from it. They are enfilades of exhibition rooms for various expositions.
Exhibitions
From the beginning of July to the end of August (in the most 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. Ticket price is 11 euros. Children can visit the museum for free. Bilbao Museum annually receives about a million visitors. The exhibition presents works of postmodernism, as well as the modernist era. The collection contains a huge amount of work. In fact, not a single direction of the 20th century was left without attention. It must be said at the same time that the museum presents not only paintings and sculptures proper. Here you can see a large number of electronic panels, installations and other wonders of contemporary art.
Exposure Features
The museum exhibits are constantly changing. But at the same time, it is possible to conditionally divide the building into rooms by subject. So, for example, we can distinguish rooms where the works of abstract artists and futurists are presented, at the head of which are the works of Kandinsky. There is a hall of surrealism. Here you can see pictures of Dali. Picasso's masterpieces are presented in the cubist hall. Here you can also look at the famous prints of M. Monroe, made by Warhol. Of particular interest are sculptures authored by Richard Seri. They are made of special weather-resistant steel. The meeting is called "The essence of time." This original collection is a series of abstract works of an artistic and philosophical nature, a kind of "pointless space." The main exposition of the museum presents the work performed by the founder of the "color field painting " Mark Rothko. He is a vivid representative of abstract expressionism. Incidentally, it should be said that the works of Rothko break all price records at major auctions. Presented in the museum are collages of the famous Robert Rauschenberg. His works are saturated, full; they make you analyze and think.