Summer at the Guggenheim Museum

From June 18 through September 3, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is open until 9 pm for Summer Tuesdays, offering music and refreshments in the museum rotunda in addition to exhibitions on view in the galleries. Films, conversations, and performances enhance opportunities for visitors to engage with the museum and the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building that celebrates 60 years as an architectural icon in 2019. Also starting in June, Summer of Know, a conversation series addressing urgent issues through the generative lens of art, returns to the Guggenheim, featuring artists, activists, and other professionals discussing topics such as LGBTQIA+ rights in a global context, environmental activism, and housing rights. Details are available at guggenheim.org/calendar.

Summer exhibitions at the Guggenheim include the first artist-curated exhibition at the museum, Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection, as well as The Hugo Boss Prize 2018: Simone Leigh, Loophole of Retreat, Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story, and Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now.

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Tuesdays, June 18–September 3, 5:30–9 pm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim extends its hours to 9 pm on Tuesdays this summer, offering increased access to exhibitions as well as special events and activities, many of which are free with museum admission. Refreshments and light fare will be available for purchase on the ground floor of the rotunda and in Cafe 3. The Guggenheim Store remains open until 9:30 pm on these evenings.

Regular admission applies. For more information, see Plan Your Visit.

Select Tuesdays, June 18–December 17, 6:30 pm
In this series of conversations organized by Nancy Spector, Artistic Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator, each of the six artist-curators of Artistic License—Cai Guo-Qiang, Paul Chan, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Richard Prince, and Carrie Mae Weems—reflects on their interpretations of the collection and the themes that informed their selections.

June 18: Cai Guo-Qiang
July 30: Jenny Holzer
September 24: Julie Mehretu
October 8: Paul Chan
November 19: Carrie Mae Weems
December 17: Richard Prince

This program is part of the Elaine Terner Cooper Education Fund Conversations with Contemporary Artists series.

$25, $20 members, $18 students. Ticket includes same-day museum admission. Same-day admission tickets may be presented at the door for free entry to the event as space allows. Schedule subject to change. For more information and tickets, visit guggenheim.org.

Select Tuesdays, June 18–September 3, 7 pm
The Wright
Guggenheim curators and educators moderate informal discussions pairing contemporary artists with practitioners and thought leaders at the forefront of today’s most urgent social, political, environmental, and legal issues. Engaging with current affairs through the generative lens of art, participants and topics include: Ad Minoliti and Adam Eli on LGBTQIA+ rights in a global context (June 18); Yve Laris Cohen and Alexes Hazen on the health and care of bodies in transition (June 25); Hank Willis Thomas and Naureen Akhter on youth civic engagement (July 9); Allison Janae Hamilton and Elizabeth Yeampierre on environmental justice (August 6); and Anna Puigjaner and Jessica Katz on housing activism (September 3).

Summer of Know is supported in part by Moleskine.

$25, free for members and students. Tickets are required for all attendees and will be available exclusively on-site at the admissions desk on the day of the event starting at 5 pm. Ticket includes same-day museum admission. Same-day admission tickets may also be presented at the admissions desk for a free program ticket. Limited capacity, speakers and topics subject to change. For schedule and updates, visit guggenheim.org/calendar.

Thursday, June 27, 7 pm
As part of the Guggenheim’s Middle Eastern Circle Presents series, musicians and artists improvise on a hybrid sculptural object by Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui in the museum’s iconic rotunda. This new work builds on Atoui’s collaboration with instrument makers Léo Maurel and Vincent Martial and their research into historical church pipe organs, modular synthesizers, and the sonic experiences of the deaf, engaging the museum’s acoustics to create a unique aural environment. A moderated conversation with Atoui and his collaborators will precede the performance. Performers include Chuck Bettis, C. Lavender, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Victoria Shen, Keith Fullerton Whitman, and C. Spencer Yeh. Supported by members of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Middle Eastern Circle.

Sold out, standby line will form one hour in advance of the program start time. Tickets will be sold as space allows beginning at 6:55 pm. For more information, guggenheim.org/calendar.

Tuesdays, July 2, August 6, and September 3, 8–9 pm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
On the first Tuesday evening of each month, the Guggenheim offers a uniquely contemplative atmosphere in its unforgettable space. In homage to founding director Hilla Rebay’s vision for a “temple of spirit,” visitors are invited to enjoy the building in a meditative state of mind, aided by dimmed lights and ambient music in the rotunda.

Free with museum admission. Visit guggenheim.org/building to learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic design and other 60th anniversary programs.

Tuesdays, July 9–30, 6pm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New Media Theater
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story, this film series provides additional context by expanding on the cultural climate of 1980s New York City, Basquiat’s life and work, and how artists responded to social injustice.
Titles include:

Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, 2017
Directed by Sara Driver, 78 min.
Tuesday, July 9
This film serves as a look at the early career of graffiti artist-turned-acclaimed painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. The film includes interviews with his romantic partners and friends, as well as his street art contemporaries and icons of hip-hop culture.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, 2010
Directed by Tamra Davis, 93 min.
Tuesday, July 16
Tamra Davis presents a documentary portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat, revealing how he dealt with being a black artist in a predominantly white art world, his professional rise, his close relationship with Andy Warhol, and the confluence of acclaim, scrutiny, and fame.

Do the Right Thing, 1989
Directed by Spike Lee, 120 min.
Tuesday, July 30
The hottest day of the year erupts on-screen in this vibrant look at a day in the life in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where the character Radio Raheem evokes the death of Michael Stewart.

Dedicated to those killed by police, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn, Rosie Perez, and John Turturro. Since its premiere over three decades ago, Spike Lee’s powerful portrayal of urban racial tensions turning violent has continued to earn popular and critical praise.

Screenings take place in the New Media Theater, Level B, and are free with same-day museum admission. Limited capacity, wristband required. Wristbands are available at the admissions desk beginning at 4 pm on the day of the screening and distributed on a first-come-first-served basis. Advance wristbands are not available. For more information, visit guggenheim.org/films.

Friday, July 26, 9 pm–midnight; Exclusive Members’ Hour: 8–9 pm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
An after-hours private viewing of the exhibitions Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection, Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now, The Hugo Boss Prize 2018: Simone Leigh, Loophole of Retreat, and Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story, featuring a cash bar and DJ in the rotunda.

Supported in part by Showtime.

$25, members free. Purchase tickets online in advance or become a member. Cash bar offers wine and beer. Guests will be asked for a photo ID. Limited general admission tickets will go on sale closer to the event date. Tickets are not sold at the door. For more information, visit guggenheim.org/artafterdark.

Tuesday, September 17, 6:30 pm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
This lecture considers the Guggenheim’s simultaneous presentations of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Robert Mapplethorpe as an opportunity to examine cross-cutting entanglements of race, masculinity, and the gaze. Drawing on the distinction that black feminist theorist Hortense Spillers makes between “flesh” and “the body,” a range of contemporary and historical examples are examined to reveal how intersections of blackness, flesh, and vision circulate at the most intimate level of our erotic lives even as they also erupt in the violence that results in endless cycles of racialized death. With the focal shift in Black Atlantic visual arts from representation to performance, what fresh insights arise with regard to critical perspectives on the black body?

The Hilla Rebay Lectures bring distinguished scholars to the Guggenheim Museum to examine significant issues in the theory, criticism, and history of art. This annual program is made possible through the generosity of the Hilla von Rebay Foundation.

Free, sign up for updates. To sign up and for more information, visit guggenheim.org/calendar.

Daily, 2 pm
Art in the Round Architecture Focus: Inside the Guggenheim Spiral
Fridays, 2 pm
Art in the Round public tours are guided, participatory explorations of the Guggenheim’s collection, exhibitions, and architecture. Gallery educators facilitate varied experiences aimed at deepening visitors’ understanding of and engagement with artwork. While all tours encourage close looking and conversation among participants, each educator uses creative approaches to build unique, sometimes surprising encounters in the museum. Visitors of all ages and abilities are encouraged and welcome to join. As part of the building’s 60th anniversary celebration, Friday tours focus on the Guggenheim’s iconic architecture.

Free with museum admission, no RSVP is required. Meet on the rotunda floor. For more information, visit guggenheim.org/calendar.

Wednesdays, June 12, July 31, and September 18, 12 pm
Explore current exhibitions on a focused tour led by a Guggenheim curator with expert knowledge of the work on view.

June 12: Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now with Levi Prombaum, Curatorial Assistant of Collections
July 31: The Hugo Boss Prize 2018: Simone Leigh, Loophole of Retreat with Amara Antilla, Assistant Curator
September 18: The Hugo Boss Prize 2018: Simone Leigh, Loophole of Retreat with Susan Thompson, Associate Curator

Free with museum admission. Limited capacity, advance registration is required. Tours interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) upon request. For more information, visit guggenheim.org/calendar.

Wednesday, July 24, 2–4 pm: Artistic License
Monday, Sept 16, 6:30-8:30 pm: Basquiat’s “Defacement”
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Monthly Mind’s Eye tours and workshops for visitors who are blind or have low vision are conducted by arts, education, and access professionals through verbal description, conversation, sensory experiences, and creative practice.

Mind’s Eye is made possible by Ornellaia.

Additional support is provided by Peter Bentley Brandt.

Free with RSVP required one week before the program date. For more information, visit guggenheim.org/mindseye

The Sackler Center for Arts Education is a gift of the Mortimer D. Sackler Family. Endowment funding is provided by The Engelberg Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, The Elaine Terner Cooper Foundation, the Esther Simon Charitable Trust, and the Goldring Education Endowment Fund.

Educational activities and/or public programs are made possible in part by Ornellaia; The Freeman Foundation; JW Marriott; Stavros Niarchos Foundation; Katherine and Peter Kend, Annie and Gaines Wehrle, and Michael Wehrle in honor of Ebersole Gaines and Peter Lawson-Johnston; The Pinkerton Foundation; The Hilla von Rebay Foundation; The Kate Cassidy Foundation; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Funding is also provided by Guggenheim Partners, LLC; The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; The Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation; Gail May Engelberg and The Engelberg Foundation; The Keith Haring Foundation; Jacadi Paris; The Barker Welfare Foundation; Credit Suisse; CBRE; Cindy Chua-Tay; Dorothy and Elihu Modlin; and an anonymous donor.

Additional support from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation; Peter Bentley Brandt; Con Edison; JPMorgan Chase; Peggy Jacobs Bader and John Bader; Margarita and Ari Benacerraf; Bobbi and Barry Coller; Lisa and Jeffrey Thorp; the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.; Maria and Valentin Fuster; The Kibel Foundation; and the Henry E. Niles Foundation, Inc.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation thanks the members of the Education Committee and the Middle Eastern Circle for their support.

Admission: Adults $25, students/seniors (65+) $18, members and children under 12 free. Use the Digital Guide in the museum or visit guggenheim.org/guide to hear audio about Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmark building and the Guggenheim’s collection and exhibitions.

Museum Hours: Open daily from 10 am–5:30 pm, Tuesdays and Saturdays extended hours until 8 pm. From June 18 to September 3, open Tuesdays until 9 pm. On Saturdays, beginning at 5 pm, the museum hosts Pay What You Wish. For general information, call 212 423 3500 or visit guggenheim.org.