THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

You've probably heard of it: it's white and round (which doesn't make it easy to hang paintings). Before it became an international contemporary art franchise, it all started in New York with a wealthy collector with a penchant for new forms of expression. Solomon R. Guggenheim had made his fortune in copper and silver mining. In the 1920s and 1930s, the American billionaire began collecting works by European painters, which he exhibited in his Plaza Hotel apartments to an audience shocked by the abstract avant-garde. Among the artists were Léger, Mondrian, Klee, Chagall and Kandinsky, the last two forming the core of the museum's permanent collection. Mondrian, Degas, the Fauves and some early Picassos are other treasures of this collection. The Guggenheim Museum is said to be the most scandalous museum in New York... But isn't its greatest asset its Frank Lloyd Wright architecture? The building, planned for a different location, caused a stir, and its original concept was then hijacked by the addition of administrative space. It then suffered the insult of being renamed after the LeFrak family, who had donated $10 million to the museum. This strange cylindrical structure, which took 16 years to build and finish, stands in stark contrast to the architecture of the large middle-class buildings on 5th Avenue. It caused a storm of controversy when it opened in 1959. A new wing was opened in early 1993, surprisingly and successfully extending the museum onto Central Park. In 2019, the building was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside 7 other iconic Wright creations. In the final analysis, the Guggenheim's entire image and prestige almost stem from the architect's visionary success (just look at the omnipresence of the building in Guggenheim communications, rather than the works on display). In terms of exhibitions, transfers and acquisitions, the balance sheet is rather uneven. Some of the collection's masterpieces (Modigliani, etc.) have been sold and replaced by works of conceptual art. When the prestigious permanent collection is not sold, it rotates between the five Guggenheim-branded establishments (New York, Bilbao, Venice, Berlin and Las Vegas), and the museum gives pride of place to dubious contemporary exhibitions. The pinnacle of inanity was reached in 2003, with almost a half-year devoted to the five ridiculous episodes of the Cremaster cycle by Matthew Barney (Björk's partner in the city). His work spilled over the three floors, the corridors and the screening room (where few spectators could stand more than 5 minutes of his 45-minute films). Next door, the Ukrainian visionary Malevich (1878-1935) saw some of his finest paintings and architectural works crammed into the 50 m² of an adjoining room. The museum has been in financial difficulties for some years. Entrance is therefore relatively expensive, and the emphasis has been placed on the magnificent, sophisticated boutique (which can be ordered from France via the Internet). Walk past the museum, take a photo of the building and head straight for the boutique to indulge yourself and bring back a few souvenirs: a way of tasting the very essence of the museum.