Guggenheim Museum

10/8/2007

This building is gorgeous. A phenom in architecture. Architecture is something that I really appreciate. It's so fascinating to me how someone can design a structure that will stand for a centuries. This building is so ultra beautiful that I could just stand in the lobby and look up for forever.

I went here for the first time last night to see the American Ballet Theatre Season Preview as part of the Works and Process Series being put on by "The Guggie" as I have affectionately termed it. The Peter B. Lewis Theatre is set up in a weird way. Circular and curved like the rest of the building. If you were to take out all of the railings and furniture and drop a ball into the space it would roll around and around to a stop smack in the middle of the space. Do you get what I mean? The house is circular but it drops in the middle ... conical? I think that's the term. Anyway doesn't matter. It's cool looking but awkward for performance purposes I think.

I was in the limited view seating so I missed some dance moves that were not set in the front of the stage. But it was delightful nonetheless. Had to sit a little closer to my gentleman-caller because it was so damn cold in my section. So bring a sweater if you're going to a show. I did the stand-by seating and they usually have space for stand-bys 1 through 30. So get here early! I got in line at about 6:20 for the 7:30 show and was number 11. If you're young and vibrant like me it might be difficult to make friends in line. The Guggenheim membership is full of UESrs. So your surroundings are rather wealthy, old, white people. So I suggest you bring a friend if you are not a ticket holder. The ticket holder line fills up pretty quickly too but you shouldn't have a problem with your view if you get there 10 minutes before the performance.

Works & Process is a great program. And a great behind the scenes look at the inner-workings of upcoming seasons. Catching a performance/lecture here is a lovely choice for a evening out.

1/23/2011

Picasso's = win . The architecture of the building is hella cool looking. Wise tip : Take the elevator to the top and work your way down. Unless you wanna get that extra workout as its a spiral walkway. Your knees will thank me later

8/28/2007

A walk through the Guggenheim is like taking a stroll through the imagination.  You start on the bottom floor and alternate between walking up the corkscrew and walking through more open exhibition halls.  This does three things:

1) You get the most museum out of limited space
2) It breaks the monotony of square rooms with square spaces
3) You don't get lost; you start on one end and finish at the top and see everything in between

Since the museum isn't that big, in order to keep it interesting they rotate exhibits often, so a good 75% of the work you're looking at won't be the same between visits.  Whether you're a local or a tourist, the Guggenheim is an awesome place to visit.  My only problem is that 18 bucks is pretty stiff, but since I can't dock half a star, I'll leave it at 5.

12/12/2008

Did I miss something?

No...seriously...did I miss something?

I don't think any museum has disappointed me as much as the Guggenheim.  If I had paid the full admission I would have been pissed off but this is what Pay As You Wish nights are for, right?

The building itself is amazing, especially when you consider when it was designed and built.  Frank Lloyd Wright was definately ahead of his time.  If only the exhibitions could have been worthy of the space.

I spent maybe an hour tops in the 6 floor museum which pretty much sums it up.  The Catherine Opie exhibit briefly held my interest until I made it to the third consecutive floor of it.  Geez, surely a photographer is familiar with overexposure.  Why is it necessary to have a multiple-floor exhibition of a single artist?   The Kandinsky et al exhibit was nice but small.  The same goes for the permanent collection.  The collection just doesn't seem interesting to me and contains what I'd consider inferior works by the heavy hitters of late 19th, early 20th century art.

Maybe I missed something.

3/21/2010

I really enjoyed the Guggenheim, its a museum that can easily be tackled in a day, not nearly as overwhelming as the Met or MoMA.

3/6/2012

I like art and experiencing new things, but this place is more hype than what it is.  I've always wanted to go to the Guggenheim, because I've heard so many good things about this place.  I recommend going just to see it at least once, but don't take any kids, nieces or nephews or tourists with you unless you know they love art (mostly paintings).  You can't take pictures once inside.  The most interesting thing about the building is the design.  I do like that it's a complete circle, so you can see things in an orderly fashion without having to wander around to figure out what to see next.  I've seen the Guggenheim in so many movies which make it appear large, but in reality, it's not a big building at all.

3/6/2008

The Guggenheim's main point is to see traveling exhibits from global artists, I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Example: the Cai Guo-Qiang exhibit. Go see it. The artist draws with gunpowder. For this recovering pyro, I found that medium irrestible. I stumbled across this exhibit when I was in town and am glad I paid the admission. The free audio tour was a nice touch too. For friends not sure about seeing the MoMa or the Guggenheim, I'd recommend seeing both but only if the Guggenheim has an interesting artist-exhibit in town. Preferably during the weekday.
The Guggenheim gift shop needs a remodeling because for a shopaholic, you won't find much. The Moma beats them on that.

9/3/2007

5 stars because you can get 15% off a membership if you show them a picture of art that you've made. That's it. That's all the street cred you need to qualify for an "artist" membership. $60 for a years worth of free admission, discounts, guest tickets, etc? Yay!

5 stars for the building -  There's no better stroll through a museum than taking the elevator to the top and spiraling your way down. Just like the man himself designed it to be.

4 stars for the exhibit I saw today. Expansive, fun, educational, lovely.

2 stars for inconsistency due to constant rotation of exhibitions that take up most of the space and a few past disappointing visits.

I've loved it since I was a kid and fancied myself a Frank Lloyd Wright buff. I rediscovered the thrill of having so many stresses melt away upon my first look up to the ceiling today. Thanks Gugg. I appreciate you.

1/14/2011

BORING!

You cant take any pictures here except in the lobby where there are tons of people so you cant get a decent picture of just you with the white spiraling architecture in the background.  

The exhibits were ehhh.

Not my museum- much prefer MOMA or the MET.

1/6/2008

This museum is a prime example of an architects ego overshadowing any thought for the building as a functional space. The main room is impressive and beautiful, but the side galleries feel like small closets Mr. Frank Lloyd Wright added because he was told they needed somewhere to store some silly paintings (aka the permanent collection!).
This doesn't make for a great place to either view or curate art. There are very limited areas to show work that is free standing or needs room around it to breathe. It creates shows which feel like they are restricted by how things physically fit within a room, not how they could best be shown as a group.
Go into the building, stare up at the ceiling and then go to another museum unless you are certain there is a show you must see, regardless of how awkwardly it is displayed.

11/20/2010

Place was ok.  Think MoMA would have been better...maybe it was just a crappy exibit

10/11/2008

Frank Lloyd Wright's only building in New York just completed a three year restoration!

The long spiral ramp--which gives the building its outer appearance-- provides contrasting views of artwork which sits on the lip of each curve.  

The most organized of the dozen or so galleries I visited in NYC.  An architectural masterpiece to say the least.

8/4/2007

Quick tip:  You are meant to take the elevator up to the top and "descend down from the Heavens" according to Mr. Wright.

I went for a First Friday, it was absurd, we were in line for an hour or so, then you need to buy drink tickets, and then you can't take your drinks out of the first level, and the number of people is staggering (hence the wait in line).  It is cool to do once, it was fun.

As for the actual art that was displayed, I think it is hard for anything to live up to the building in which it is displayed.  Love him or hate him Mr. Wright has a very ingenious gallery space, which is very fun to spiral down from above.

The restrooms are very interesting, there are no right angles in them, so beware you could end up in an awkward position in there.  In the gallery they are all private rooms, some uni-sex some single sex, but all nice.  4 Flushes

Some of the scaffolding is starting to come down, it is looking new again...

3/22/2009

the single fact that the organizational structure of the museum streamlines an entire exhibit, in the new age of epidemic attention deficiencies, deserves 10 stars. always amazing shows, and almost never, like elsewhere, will you collide into the clueless few who decide to see retrospective shows in prospective order.

i also just happen to personally know some of the talents behind its artistic landscape, money managers of the Guggenheim Family. for the info of all those who still give a shit to the financial world, they are doing well:)

3/23/2007

Is it wrong to dislike a museum?

Yes, the Guggenheim is a masterpiece of architecture...from the outside.  From the inside, I feel it's all wrong for a museum.  It would have made a tremendous contemporary concert hall, probably more beautiful than Avery Fisher.  

But as a museum, one feels that there's not a single moment of truly contemplating a piece of art by one's self.  Instead, one is continuously jostled by the crowds, forced to listen to some pompous twit going on and on (and why does the Guggenheim seem to attract the most pedantic artsy fartsy crowds, along with the tourists).  I don't go to museums to be seen but rather to see.  Yet everyone else at the Guggenheim seems to be there to be seen.

Also, I dislike museums that don't have a focus on what they are providing to the public.  This is a museum that can do Matthew Barney one moment, Goya the next, Russian art another, and Norman Rockefellar another.  What is the Guggenheim's mission?  I certainly can't figure it out...and the lack of a strong permanent collection makes it all the harder to know why the Guggenheim exists.

On top of this, the Guggenheim has jacked up their prices since Moma raised their prices to $20.  It's one thing for the Moma to raise their prices, since at least their collection is one of the strongest in the U.S., but the same can't be said of the Guggenheim.

I'd rather go to the Modern art section at the Met any day of the week.  It's cheaper, quieter, and often more interesting.

10/19/2009

My son and I went here on our first visit to New York. It's an iconic building and lived up to its hype. Looking up at the ceiling from the lobby was spectacular. The only thing was, once inside, it kinda reminded me of those walkways they have at stadiums, the round ones, the cattle herders. It still gets 5 stars in spite of that! We were fortunate enough to see the Kandinsky exhibit and it was one of the best exhibits I've ever seen at any museum (including the Getty in LA). I was truly impressed. The permanent collection is also pretty darn amazing! The actual museum was much smaller than I'd imagined but that was fine with me because we didn't have a huge amount of time to spend there. We saw everything in around an hour and a half. Admission was $18 and worth every penny!

6/27/2007

Lovely! The spiral design lets you navigate the museum easily and you can start either from the the top or the bottom. I really loved going to the Guggenheim, but I haven't been there in years (like six, or so).

Modern art is my bag, so I loved going through each turn and curve and discovering a new work of art. The space is wide and big, so the viewer doesn't feel boxed in or overwhelmed. It's a very enjoyable and peaceful experience.

4/20/2008

The Cai Guo-Qiang exhibit was impressive. His use of space in the middle of the museum is amazing, and for some reason I especially liked the blue car at the top. The best part was actually the video where they showed him making (igniting) the gunpowder art with his colleagues smothering the flames. Definitely worth checking out as far as museums go if you're not into staring at paintings for hours.

1/26/2007

The entire T. line spawned from my father, an innovative architect, consists of Renaissance prodigies who can draw, sculpt, paint and play the clarinet, violin or piano, in some cases at the same time. The Guggenheim is one of those places that reminds me of what a talentless, useless container of a "soul" I am. But I still love visiting.

Reading the reviews, this place is to the Yelp community as the Country Kitchen Buffet is to Iowans; there's something for everyone. During my most recent visit we saw El Greco to Picasso, which was fantastic. Not because I am huge a fan of classical art, I am actually quite particular (though aesthetically I love voluptuous women), but because the curation was impeccable. Themed and perfectly flowing from piece to piece the exhibit allows the viewer to appreciate the juxtaposition of style and artist. The annexes hold interesting exhibits, Kandinsky in the permant collection, Fontana's metal wonders in another. Go check out the caustics of the copper pieces.

FLW generally blows my mind, so I was bummed to see that they were working on the facade during my last visit as I wanted to see the building again in its full splendor. I still treasured the pleasantly spiraling floors and suggest starting at the top (esp. if you get there late as they close from top down). I try to channel my depression into inspiration, the G experience is that effing good.

7/17/2009

Oh Guggenheim, you get a C.  How very unsatisfying, your exhibits are so very lacking in substance.

The building itself is interesting, but the actual gallery space seems very limited.  The current exhibit on Frank Lloyd Wright starts out interesting, but gets very boring after the second or third winding of the spiral staircase.  The exhibit I feel is poorly narrated (both in terms of layout and actual audio narration).  It's organized purely chronologically, there wasn't very much narrative or commentary on how his work has evolved, what major events may have impacted his designs, what the impact of his work has been.  There were many many drawings, floorplans/sections/elevations, but I would have loved to see more pictures or models.  They tell you about some of his philosophies on architecture, but I have to say, they did a poor job tying it into the designs on display.  Yes, I know he believed form and function are one.  Yes, I know he thinks architecture must tie into the site.  But how did he do that?  Aside from telling you how flat prairie-land influenced his horizontal-ness in design, the audio tour and the overall exhibits really didn't do much toward providing any sort of critical thought or commentary.  Overall, it was a bit of a letdown considering the supposed quality of the museum.  It quite literally felt as if they just gathered a ton of his drawings and put them up on the walls in chronological order.  No real story behind it.

I normally take the better part of a day to walk through a museums, but this one went by super quickly, because there really is not that much of substance being shown.  The other exhibits on display were also interesting, but showcased only a small handful of items.  I would much rather go to the MoMA or the Whitney or the Met.

10/16/2010

The architecture of the museum is probably just as famous the art it houses inside.  It's too bad you can't take photographs of anything after the ground level, since there are some pretty famous pieces of art in there, but I guess your good ol' fashion memory will have to do.  They offer student discounts for admission and you can also find a "$1 off admission" coupon on the nycgo.com map.

11/30/2008

The Guggenheim is very famously known for its architecture. The way it is designed causes you to have a goal in mind. You just feel like you must reach the top of the spiral and then come back.

That takes a lot away from the entire experience of going to a museum. I felt rushed when there and it seems like maybe they just want to haul people in and out as if this were some sort of rodeo. But maybe I'm just being silly.

A lot of Andy Warhol stuff is at the Gugg. So if that's your bag, then you're like money.

2/4/2008

Frank Lloyd Wright and I have a rocky relationship. I admire him, his ghost despises me.

The latest chapter for me in this love/hate affair is my second trip to the Guggenheim. Last time in NY, it was closed for renovations. The famous architure obscured by scaffolding and construction trucks. BLASTED!

This time, two years later, ITS STILL OBSCURED!

It was open though, yet four of the seven floors were closed. WTF?

Sure, I enjoyed the Cezannes and the Picassos, but I forgot my camera and couldn't take pictures of the rotunda and make collages with the swoops and angles and all the wonderfulness of that building. Sucks, man.

Oh well, soon I will experience the full rush.

I do have the coffee cup though.

11/19/2008

The structure is the biggest work of art attached to the Guggenheim in my opinion - it is simply magnificent.

Unfortunately when I visited last year the exterior was still covered in scaffolding so I felt like I missed out a bit. However, the interior is stunning, from the sloping walkway to the amazing ceiling.

Put simply, this is a must-see when you're in New York.

6/3/2009

At 3 stars, I am being generous. This is a very inspiring building that with the right exhibition would prove to be an exhilarating visual setting to enjoy works of art. With that said, the current exhibit for Frank Lloyd Wright blows chunks. It is a waste of the potential for this architectural wonder. Moreover, an exhibit for the designer of the builder is self serving and accomplishes nothing. If you are planning a trip to this venue, then I recommend you wait until they change the exhibit.

10/17/2010

Nice museum. Wish there was more information through out rather then feeling like you have to get the audio to make the most of the experience.

2/27/2006

I've never liked this place.  I purposely avoided it for years.  

Architecturally, I'm not a fan of Wright's later work.  I mean compare this building with Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, AZ.  They're nearly the same and that's just not interesting to me.

Finally, I went because of the Norman Rockwell exhibit that was accompanied by an exhibit of Santo art from South America.  The Rockwell was poorly hung in horribly crowded rooms.  The Santos were better arranged in the main circular area.  The standing collection was rather boring.

All in all, it would take a pretty special exhibit to get me to go back.

9/2/2010

Thank you for being closed on Thursdays, the one day I had free and decided to go to the Museum

11/22/2011

Always something, but who knew that Cattelan would find his way here!! What a departure for this venue. Fascinating to see them take a chance and dangle the work in the atrium. Something to see.

9/17/2010

3/4ths of the museum is closed.  Bummer.

1/5/2009

During my recent visit to NY, we went to 4 museums and the Guggenheim was actually my least favorite. The exterior surpasses the interior by far, and most of it was actually just empty. Also, no pictures are allowed above the ground level but really, what was on the ground level besides the random Pinnocchio mannequin that's face down in the water?? I know 2 stars seems a little harsh but technically, 3 stars would be "A-OK" and quite frankly, Yelp puts it best: "Meh. I've experienced better."

12/27/2008

I find the Guggenheim to be a hit or miss affair. I have seen some really wonderful exhibits there, like an expo of great Spanish artists from El Greco to Goya, but most often I leave the Guggenheim scratching my head in  confusion. I popped in to see an exhibit from Catherine Opie, a fantastic photographer, on 12/26, and was really pleased with the exhibit. The problem was that it was being shown in the annex sections of the museum which left the rest of the space, the main space, empty. I found that puzzling. Why leave the main portion of the museum empty and relegate your main exhibit to the nether corners? Once again the Gugg left me scratching my noggin.

12/28/2006

Finally, I could have a chance to go this great piece of architectural museum.  There was ' El Greco to Picasso' exhibition.  It was impressive but hard to catch up without audio guide..  couldn't understand why the sign didn't go with the paintings..  
maybe.. trying to push all of the visitors down?
well~   It was good to know Picasso also had regular pieces..  =)

5/11/2010

This is a beautiful museum, worth experiencing for the architecture alone. The current Haunted exhibit is hit or miss, or maybe I just don't "get it", but I really enjoyed their permanent collection as well as the Paris and the Avant-Garde exhibit. Everyone working here seemed really friendly and helpful too. You can easily get through the museum in 2-3 hours, so it's not as overwhelming as the Met, but ladies should still wear comfortable shoes.

3/25/2007

I hate modern art. No, I mean it. Jackson Pollack genuinely pisses me off..I did that shit in first grade with a marble and a toothbrush and I am not a world famous artist!! Blah.

In addition, I hate how expensive this place is. Seriously...$18, or $15 for students? Give me a break. And their "free night" is 2 hours long, that's barely enough time to see an exhibit if you rush, and coming back twice is a pain, so I suck it up and go when there's a good exhibit.

It's the special exhibits that make this place worth acknowledging. The regular collection is a 1 star in my eyes, but the special exhibits get 5, so it evens out to 3 stars. The Russian art exhibit last year was amazing, and the current Spanish exhibit (El Greco to Picasso) is fabulous too. I guess I can stomach up $18 a year to see those exhibits. As for the white canvas painted white, I'll make my own, thanks.

8/3/2008

I adore the Guggenheim and I say this after attending on a very cold and snowy day when we decided to walk through Central Park to get to it!

The permanent collection is varied and intersting but you really do take your pot luck with the visiting collection.

Wehn we visited it was a Maya artifacts exhibition which was interesting but to be honest we were mosre interested in the permanent collection. Sadly the Maya exhbitin took so much space a numer of works we wanted to see (such as Gilbert and George) had been removed - be warned!

The building looks like a 1960's car park and has an odd design feature. You have to enter, go up the lift and work your way down the spiral. Interesting concept but it means you are forced to see everything as there is no cutting bits out in order to get to the bottom.

The restaurant was also very good offering ample food at good value that was tasty and well cooked.

If only all museums could be like this!

8/9/2009

i went to the guggenheim museum by myself today. the museum is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. as part of the celebration, they have a large exhibit about frank lloyd wright. the exhibit is titled: frank lloyd wright: from within outward.

as everyone is aware, the guggenheim building in new york city was designed by frank lloyd wright in 1959-1960. the building was completed 6 months after he passed away. the building is fantastic. it has finally finished the refurbishment of the museum (late last year, i believe). when walking by now, you can view the actual museum, as opposed to scaffolding. it was pretty interesting to view 64 of his projects in a museum he designed.

this was the very first major exhibit about frank lloyd wright i have ever attended. as usual with exhibits at the guggenheim it started at the bottom and worked up to the top of the museum. they had everything from sketches to models and pictures of the projects that were built. i had never realized how many of his projects were never built. i particularly was intrigued by the phoenix "oasis," which was supposed to house the capital's government buildings outside the busy city center. it looked spectacular according to the colored pencil sketches. i was most disappointed that the chicago's midway gardens were torn down during prohibition. the pictures of it looked beautiful.

this visit to the guggenheim improved its score. this is the first exhibit that the guggenheim has had/promoted that seems to have some value and appeal to the "average" museum visitor. this was definitely well done.

note: the museum was crawling with people. if you do want to see this exhibit, i would recommend getting there earlier in the day.

it was pretty good last time, but that doesn't make up for all the other times i've gone and it hasn't been great.

museumhopper.blogspot.com

3/24/2008

This rating is NOT re: Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibit. If it were, it would be a one star, two star max. Blah. What a repetitive waste of all of the Guggenheim's fabulous, creatively laid out space. Stuffed tigers with arrows? Tired. Stuffed wolves running towards a glass wall? Slightly better but yeah, yawn. Oh, and gunpowder + paper DOES NOT = interesting art.

That aside, the Goog is one of my favorite museums in the city (it and the MoMA). I far prefer them to the Met. I finally made a visit last week for the first time since my move to NY. While I was a bit bummed that only 1/3 of the permanent exhibit was actually open, I still loved refreshing my memory as to what it has to offer. I'll have to head back post-May, once Guo-Quiang's cleared out to see what they have to offer next time around.

5/9/2009

My favourite building in the whole wide world. So well suited for a museum and makes every visit a delight. Love most of their exhibitions and their curator nights for members are fantastic. Go now and again.

3/23/2007

I really like this museum. They have a great permanent collection  and the architecture/set up provides a great way to see it all. I do agree with several people, take the elevator up and walk your way down.
I saw the Matthew barney exhibit and was even more blown away.
you can't go wrong with this place, it's got something for everyone!