Guggenheim Museum to Open Daily Beginning in 2019 In Honor of 60th Anniversary of Landmark Building

In 2019 the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum celebrates 60 years as an architectural icon. Since opening its doors on October 21, 1959, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building has inspired generations of visitors as a unique “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet. The Guggenheim will initiate a new seven-day-a-week schedule with evening hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays to coincide with this milestone.

Museum events leading up to the building’s anniversary day in October will offer members and the public new opportunities for inspiration, connection, and contemplation. On-site tours and activities will explore the history and details of the architectural masterpiece, and The Wright restaurant and Cafe 3 will update their menus with favorites of the museum’s visionary founders. Guggenheim fans around the world can look forward to behind-the-scenes videos, a blog series featuring guest writers from the fields of architecture and design, and a chance to share their own transformative experiences in the museum using the hashtag #Guggenheim60.

During the anniversary year, members and the public are invited to celebrate with the Guggenheim through in-depth exhibitions of the museum’s collection, and programs that highlight the connection between art and architecture. More information will follow in 2019.

Starting January 7, the Guggenheim Museum will be open seven days a week from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and until 8 pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays, including pay-what-you-wish from 5 pm to 8 pm on Saturdays.

Exhibitions on view in 2019 contemplate the museum’s own history as an early advocate for abstract art while expanding and challenging conventional art-historical narratives with new critical perspectives. Presentations include an introduction to the long-underrecognized innovator of abstract art Hilma af Klint; an artist-led examination of the museum’s collection by Paul Chan, Cai Guo-Qiang, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Richard Prince, and Carrie Mae Weems in Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection; a celebratory solo show by 2018 Hugo Boss Prize-winner, Simone Leigh; an exploration of the legacy of Robert Mapplethorpe; and a focused investigation through the lens of social justice on a formative chapter in the career of Jean-Michel Basquiat. The complete schedule of exhibitions through 2020 is available at guggenheim.org/press.

Art in the Round Architecture Tours, Fridays, 2 pm
Beginning January 4, these weekly building tours are for everyone from first-time visitors to lifelong Frank Lloyd Wright fans.

Saturday Sketching, Saturdays, 10 am–4 pm
Teens and families will explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural shapes and spaces through drawing activities in the museum’s galleries.

Silent Nights, Tuesday, January 8, 7–8 pm
Visitors can view exhibitions and experience the museum in a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. Beginning February 5, Silent Nights will take place on the first Tuesday evening of every month.

Architecture Family Tours, Sundays, February 10 and April 14, 10:30 am–12 pm
Part of the monthly Second Sunday Family Tours, this interactive, family-friendly tour will explore the history, spaces, and shapes of the building and be accompanied by creative, hands-on gallery activities.

Open Studio: For Teens, By Teens, May 19, 1–4 pm
During this special drop-in program for high school students, Guggenheim Teen Volunteers will lead their peers in an afternoon of art-making activities centered around the museum’s architecture.

Drawing the Guggenheim, October 2019
A transatlantic collaboration featuring the Guggenheim’s international constellation of museums, Drawing the Guggenheim is a day of activities centered on drawing the iconic architecture of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Learn about the Frank Lloyd Wright Building
Explore the rich history of the Guggenheim’s landmark museum. Archival images of Wright’s masterpiece, audio about the building’s development and construction, and information about architecture tours and programs can all be found at guggenheim.org/building.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The Guggenheim international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. In 2019, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum celebrates 60 years as an architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet. To learn more about the museum and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.