The Guggenheim Museum: Is Its Design as Important to Art as the Works Within?
Written: Nov 01 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: As its fifty year anniversary nears, the building continues to be unique and instantly recognized.
Cons: Harsh early and late shadows show the understructure of the round domes.
The Bottom Line: This is a museum in which its design is as important to me as the artwork within it.
|
|
|
| popsrocks's Full Review: The Guggenheim Museum |
As a youngster I remember driving past the construction site of The Guggenheim Museum. In simple childish terms I perceived it as really cool and different than anything else I had ever seen. This was the time of Sputnik, the design of aerodynamic looking cars, Rock and Roll and the avant garde scene of Beatniks in the Village. The 60s were about to explode onto the American culture with civil rights marches, Camelot, music from England, free love, pervasive drug use, and finally an unpopular war and subsequent protests that defined the era. The Guggenheim Museum seemed to me as the fuse to this explosion of changes in the world. It was the artists that brought us into the future and so much of it was in this building.
When Solomon Guggenheim took the reins of a project for a museum that was to hold and exhibit the new art form of non-objective paintings, an assistant of his wrote a letter to famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright stating, "I need a fighter, a lover of space, an agitator, a tester and a wise man. . . . I want a temple of spirit, a monument!" Frank Lloyd Wright responded with the singular and unparalleled design that is now known as the Guggenheim Museum. It was thought of as genius and by some as hideous. One word that could truly be used in this case was unique.
Some Basics
This museum, that is on 89-90th Street and Fifth Ave overlooks Central Park and is a short walk from the Metropolitan Museum of Art also on Fifth Ave. Prices are generally $15 for adults but with special exhibits, like The Aztec Empire, from October 15, 2004, February 13, 2005 prices are inflated to $18.00 or $23 with an audio tour that I strongly recommend. Students over 12 and seniors save $3.00 on admission. Children 12 and under are free without the audio tour. Hours are Saturday-Wednesday 10 AM-5:45 PM The museum is closed on Thursdays and reopens Friday 10 AM-8 PM. Always check daily times and dates of closing for a few holidays.
Every level has odd shaped restrooms due to the overall shape of the structure. They are clean and well stocked though I can tell you this big guy had to be a sort of contortionist to use the facilities. The lobby has a unisex restroom and a ladies room. All levels also have water fountains.
A couple of museum stores also grace the halls of the structure. The one on the main level can be entered without paying as fee for the museum. Besides books, postcards, and t-shirts I found it interesting that they sold both coffee cups and t-pots that reflected the basic shape of Wright's museum form. A few toys like yo-yos, spinning tops, and Slinkys were also available.
Waiting for tickets took longer than should be expected. It took me about fifteen minutes of waiting in one of the four lines that are at the base of the rotunda area.
A Bit About Structure and Design
This museum is different as soon as you see it and enter it. It's a series of round forms at odds with the rectangular buildings that surround it. The large circular shape to the right was considered the main part of the building. It's uniqueness comes from the idea that you could take an elevator to the top and then stroll down the ramps of the museum and take in all the art works along the way. When looking at this from outside its a series of six circles that get larger as they are added on going up, a sort of inverted six layer cake. Over the years the museum has been expanded and the simpleness of this plan has been changed due to the need for more exhibit space. A new annex part of the building was constructed in 1992.
Though there is more to the structure now, getting around in it has continued to be well planned and easy to follow.
I recently was in the city for business and had a few hours after my set up to wander around a bit. I decided to check out the Guggenheim. It had been much too many years since I was last there. Many street vendors selling t-shirts, paintings, "art forms" made from cutlery, and a few hot food carts encircle the main entrance. After once again absorbing the physical presence of the museums exterior, I stepped inside, at first getting a rather claustrophobic feeling of the low ceilings, but then after taking a few more steps, it seemed the skies were opening for me to view. Wright's plan was to bring your eye up to the huge skylight above the rings and to witness small dots of people making their way down the gently sloped ramps. Looking upward is different than expected. It's a perspective that is challenging to view. Whether you like this architecture or not, it is extremely interesting and makes viewing the works in the museum quite organized.
Once at the top you can look down below at any point on the travel down. My wife hated looking down while I thought it a thrill. It is a bit scary when you happen to look up and see the back of someone leaning on the railing. It looks much to easy for them to come tumbling down. The railings are high enough to keep young children safe. The building is quite stark inside. It's the art on the black felt walls that add depth and colour. It is interesting to see a piece of artwork from a distance across the open areas and then gradually make your way to it up close. At one time it was the halls of this ramp area that housed the artwork this museum was opened to hold. For this particular visit the six level ramp held Aztec works of art of a special exhibit. From below you cannot see the artwork but once you start down you can see it revolve around you as you walk the ramp down.
I like the idea of an easy progress down to see the show. I do not like the feeling that I would get at times that made me feel like I was walking on a boat in moderate seas. After looking at a piece of art I would turn to the next and walk a few steps forgetting that it is a ramp. A feeling of imbalance would seize me from time to time.
The Aztec Empire
Once again I strongly recommend paying the extra $5 for the audio guide. The museum does not put all that much effort in giving guidance through text near the artwork. In fact very little is offered besides where the art was on loan from and a very basic few words of the art.
I happen to enjoy the Aztec Art. I was drawn to it after visiting other sites of past indigenous people that lived in the Americas. Having been to Chichen-itza, Coba, and Tulum, all in Mexico, I did get some initial background of some of the peoples and their cultures. I remember studying a bit about the Toltec that had history parallel with the Aztec.
This particular show used the full rotunda area plus a couple of other rooms of the annex. Looking at the work from a distance was a kind of bizarre simplification of colour. The stark white walls of the descending modern looking rotunda were in direct colour contrast with the black felt lined walls that held the artwork of the ancient Aztec. The artwork itself was basically muted brown tones. Once all is taken in by the eye there becomes a real sense of "sameness" as I walked down and around the ramps as compared to seeing the different colours and style of original works that embellished the walls years ago on my last visit. I remember seeing Alexander Calder's work of his wire circus and because he is considered the father of the Mobile, I remember seeing three dimensional artwork gracing the rotundas open areas. After backtracking I now realize that the last time I remember being in this museum was forty years ago in 1964-5! I do believe I remember seeing work of Long Island artist Jackson Pollack at the time. I don't think Andy Warhol had made a huge impact on the art world just yet. My the years go by.
The Aztec show was broken down into easily understood themes describing the classes of people, gods and rituals, cultures, daily life, and peoples subjugated to the Aztecs. There is art and information pertaining to the calendar of the Aztec and the final conquest and demise of the Aztec by the Spanish. If I didn't have the audio, I would have missed a lot of good information. It is hard for this guy to appreciate the work behind glass or left out in the open where you can get your nose right up to the art, without some sort of guide. Just a reminder, no photos above the first floor.
The ANNEX
In 1992 a more traditional rectangular annex was added to the museum to give more space for artwork. I don't know the square footage of this museum but it seems by design to be easily navigated and one tends to get through it relatively quickly. I did notice that many people started up the ramp rather than taking the elevator to the top and then walking down. The audio guide works up or down just by pressing the numbers that relate to what you are seeing.
Another show was in town when I was there. It was a photo show dedicated to the "hand". All the work had hands in it. I found it rather interesting seeing hands from that of a magician with flames shooting out, to art forms of geometric shapes with many hands involved. Of course the absurd that is known as art did receive the most attention when I was there. A full frontal male and female are facing the camera. She is topless he completely naked. She has her hand wrapped around the gentleman's genitalia. The title of this "wonderful?" piece of ........of artwork was "Holding Cock". I suppose the Europeans have more of a tolerance to this kind of drivel because I noticed a number of families walk by and discuss the work. Sorry but this absurd, at least to me, kind of bunk shows no art, only a certain kind of shock value. Maybe I'll become "enlightened" one day.
I was however very pleased to enter the annex rooms of the ongoing Thannhauser Collection. Here I got to see up close and personal works of Renoire, Braque, Paul Gaugin, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Manet and Claude Monet, Camille Pis sarro and Degas. (Ha, the filter on here will not let me post Ms Camille's last name and yet I can post the name of that piece of "art?") This is a funny world. Most artists had a few pieces of work displayed. Picasso had three if I recall. These late ninteenth century and early twentieth century artists make up the core of what this museum was first opened up to display. This is one of the best rooms in all of the museums I have ever been to as far as I'm concerned. I wish it went on a bit more.
Also very much on display and in fact having its own ongoing gallery is the artwork of Vasily Kandinsky. His Composition 8 is easily recognized and the colours and design fit well on this museums walls. He has more work on display than any one artist.
Aside from the two rooms of the Thannhauser Collection and the Kadinsky Gallery, there is little of that modern art this museum was once noted for. I was able to see the special Aztec show and the permanents exhibits in about two hours time. Had I not had the head phones, I'm sure it would have taken even less time.
Other Notes
Up on the Annex level 4 is a revolving door to what they call the Sculpture Terrace. It is a disappointment if you are looking for art work. I didn't see anything outside that looked like sculpture besides a roof area above our heads. What you do get is a breath of fresh air and a fine view of Central Park and some of the buildings on the west side of the park. It is worth a peek.
Because this museum is all ramp I suppose it would be pretty easy to navigate in a wheelchair BUT, I did find that there were many narrow areas that has artwork in front of them causing "traffic jams". I also noted that the buzz of noise got intolerably loud when getting down to the lower levels of the open museum.
A second, yet smaller circular ramp has some artwork on the north side of the building. This area is glassed in and you get some fine NYC views from it.
The museum has a small cafe. I didn't go to it. It is available off the main entrance at street level.
Closing Thoughts
I find this museum, even after forty years since my last visit, to still be unique in its architecture and method of display. They work well hand in hand giving more to the overall feeling of an art show than the pieces of artwork would do on its own. This is why I give this museum a four star rating.
I believe this is a must stop for any art and architecture lovers.
NEW YORK museums and places of interest by Popsrocks
The Empire State Building
The INTREPID Sea-Air-Space MUSEUM It's a good one!
Museum of Natural History
The Metropolitan Museum of ART The MET
The Museum of Television and Radio
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
Ellis Island
The Lower Manhattan Tenement Museum Learn how immigrants lived when they first arrived
SOUTH STREET SEAPORT
Federal Hall National Historic SiteDowntown across from Wall Street, our first Capitol Building was there.
Jewish Heritage Museum
St Paul's ChapelA living Memorial to 9/11
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.