This is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and established in 1937.
I find this interesting because of its shape. The curves of the frontal portion have a nice contrast to the straight lines of the part behind, as well as most of NYC's skyscrapers. All in all, it feels modern, almost futuristic, if you think about it. Despite its nearly monochromatic color scheme, it seems inviting and appears somewhat warm to the eye.
It is interesting to me that the building, a work of art itself, is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and Contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.
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The skylight in the center of the museum
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Criticism of the building has been that it overshadows the artworks that it displays. Also that it is difficult to properly hang paintings in the shallow, windowless exhibition niches that surround the central spiral. The walls of the niches are neither vertical nor flat (most are gently concave), meaning that canvasses must be mounted raised from the wall's surface. Prior to its opening, twenty-one artists, including Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, signed a letter protesting the display of their work in the space
("Last Monument"Time. November 2, 1959).
I think it is short sighted of these artists to be jealous of a building, if anything the beauty of the building should add to the overall effect of the beholder of the art. Art is everywhere and plentiful, if we are willing to swallow our pride and enjoy what is presented, whatever the canvas. The Guggenheim is an iconic landmark and clearly a design before its time.
