Alara

Doga Eroldu 1
08/29/2019

Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright


The Guggenheim Museum has been known for its unique architecture, especially the fact that
is round and short not tall and square like the typical New York architecture. When you see it
for the first time, it is very impressive and mesmerizing because the fact that it is existing in the
city, among skyscrapers makes you think that it is out of its place. Therefore, along with its
white color and unique style, it attracts you, every time you see it. Even though the building’s
architect Frank Lloyd Wright thought that there were many other places that were more
desirable and convenient to build a building like this, because of his client Solomon R.
Guggenheim, he had built it in New York among skyscrapers. Frank Lloyd Wright has created
the philosophy of “organic architecture” and applied it to the Guggenheim Museum as well
while building it. He believed that buildings should form accordingly to their natural
surroundings. A building’s architecture must be determined by the used materials, environment
and function of itself. Inside the building the first thing that you notice is the open rotund that
allows you to see the sky when you look up and creates a captivating environment inside the
museum. The other most noticeable thing is the continuous spiral ramp that goes all the way up
to the open rotunda. This ramp allows you to see the other visitors on the lower floors as well
as some part of the ramps are a part of the outer walls. The galleries inside the building are
divided into independent sections with walls between them. Frank Lloyd Wright has used
geometrical shaped in his architecture for many different buildings including the Guggenheim
Museum. For instance, he has used circles which he believed symbolized infinity on the
terrazzo floor. He also used triangular shapes underside of the spiral ramp. It is also made up
of very strong and durable material such as 7000 cubic feet of concrete and 700 tons of
structural steel. It is a very interesting and fascinating building to me because firstly, it has a
very unique architecture that makes it stand out among thousands of same type skyscrapers in
New York, and once it captivated your eyes you can never forget its dystopic shape. Also, I
remember going there to see an exhibition as a child and being speechless and astounded by
this huge, open rotunda that allowed you to see the sky and make you feel so small. At the same
time, I believe that Wright’s specific choice of location for the museum, as he wanted it to be
close to the central park so that the chaos and the noise of the city would be prevented, was an
excellent idea as while visiting a museum the most important thing would be quietness and
peace. The museum is also very important because it hosts many paintings and art pieces from
many important artists such as Paul Klee, Mondrian and Vasily Kandinsky etc. Its round form

Alara Doga Eroldu 2
08/29/2019

and shape has always reminded me of dystopic architecture and as if the building is from the
future. Moreover, the enormous amount of space that is present in the museum makes you feel
free and relaxed. The fact that you start exhibiting the building from the top floor and then come
down through the spiral ramp allows you to visit every exhibition without missing one as in
other museums, exhibitions are on the same floors and therefore you always have to double
check whether you missed an exhibition and go back the way you came to actually view them.
The ramp also allows you experience the change of space through movement. As you descend
from the ramp, you feel the space moving and changing at the same time.

Bibliography:
Guggenheim. (2019). The Guggenheim Museum on the Inside. [online] Available at:
https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/guggenheim-on-the-inside [Accessed 3
Sep. 2019].