Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a modern and contemporary art museum on Fifth Avenue at 89th Street in New York City, housed in the landmark building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1959. The museum is notable for both its collection and its continuous-spiral gallery design.

The interior rotunda features a sloping, continuous ramp that circles the central atrium and serves as the principal circulation route through the permanent collection. The building hosts rotating temporary exhibitions and a collection focused on modern and contemporary art movements.

Frank Lloyd Wright conceived the museum over many years and construction and opening followed a long development period, with the completed building quickly becoming an architectural landmark. The museum functions both as an exhibition space and as an iconic example of 20th-century architecture.

Located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the museum sits on the museum mile stretch of Fifth Avenue directly across from the northern edge of Central Park.

• Architecture and date: Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1959, the building is as well-known as much of the collection for its distinctive spiral architecture.

What to See #

• Rotunda and spiral ramp galleries: The circular central rotunda with its continuous spiral ramp gallery is the museum's defining architectural feature and the primary route through the permanent collection.
• Galleries and special exhibitions: Upper-level galleries and special exhibition spaces that display rotating modern and contemporary art exhibitions alongside the permanent collection.
• Entry and rooftop terrace: A rooftop terrace and entry sequence on Fifth Avenue that organize visitor circulation and offer street-level views toward Central Park and the Upper East Side.