In a city known for its world class museums, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum continues to be a powerhouse amongst its peers.
The museum’s iconic spiral building was first opened in late 1959. Although the design was originally wildly controversial, public sentiment has shifted, and it’s become a beloved part of 5th Avenue’s landscape.
The six-story gallery is home to a permanent collection of Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary art, and it hosts a regular rotation of special exhibitions throughout the year- basically any art that invites conversation.
The spiral nature of the main gallery allows visitors to walk from the first to the six floor, unimpeded by stairs as the artwork leads visitors along.
I’m not a huge fan of Modern Art, myself, but the building itself makes it worth a visit- an option that seems to be shared by more than a few visitors according to varying surveys taken throughout the years.
The Guggenheim was a featured in the opening scene of 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and the unique architecture of the building made for a delightfully fun setting for an animated fight scene. It was exciting to see such an iconic landmark rendered in such a critically acclaimed animation style- modern art in and of itself!
General Admission runs visitors $30 per adult, which is about on par with NYC’s Museum Mile, but can feel a little steep when not a fan of modern art. I recommend waiting for an exhibit that is particularly interesting, or visiting on Sunday between 4 and 5:30pm where visitors are invited to pay what they wish for admission (with a minimum of $1).
The museum is open daily from 10:30am-5:30pm, but getting through the museum in an hour to ninety minutes is not an unreasonable exception!
Make sure to stop by the gift shop on your way out- it’s got some particularly unique NYC souvenirs.
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