Guggenheim NYC - Frank Lloyd Wright

The Guggenheim Museum

There are a LOT of museums in New York City. You could go for 10 days and visit a new one every day. And of course they are all amazing, so you could easily spend all day in each. Given this abundance, we had to do some careful shortlisting. We ended up visiting The New Museum on the Bowery, MOMA (of course) and The Guggenheim. All were completely brilliant.

The Guggenheim was showing an exhibition called From Within Outward, about the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who also of course designed the Guggenheim museum itself. It was so so great! Actually it was also a nice break to see an exhibition entirely made up of architectural sketches and models, especially after seeing so much incredible fine art elsewhere - more than you could ever absorb in just one visit.

From Within Outward celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright's incredible body of work, spanning his celebrated 72-year career. The exhibition brings together 64 projects, including privately commissioned residences, government buildings, religious and performance spaces, as well as super-futuristic unrealized urban mega-structures - designs complete with hovering helicopters and other space-age details! Included are more than 200 original Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, as well as newly commissioned models and digital animations. It is quite incredible seeing just how contemporary and relevant Frank Lloyd Wright's work still appears today, more than 50 years after his death. It was also really entertaining to get an insight into the character himself - through personal letters and correspondence. One article on show quoted the architect referring to himself not just as the best architect the world has ever known, but also as the best architect the world will ever know in years to come! ha! (More arrogant yet super-entertaining quotes from the Lloyd Wright can be found here!).

If you're heading to NY anytime soon (I feel like everyone in Melbourne is going this year!), the Guggenheim is a must-see. A word of advice - take the lift to the top and walk down rather than up. Much easier on the legs!

Frank Lloyd Wright - Original Sketch for The Guggenheim Museum

Guggenheim Museum interior

Models of Frank Lloyd Wright's work

Frank Lloyd Wright's studio / intern workshop at his private, custom-built residence / workspace - Taliesin

Frank Lloyd Wright : From Within Outward
Until August 23, 2009


Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street)
New York, NY