Guggenheim Museum - Exhibitions - Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum: Restoring a Masterpiece

As the original landmark building of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum—designed by America's supreme architect, Frank Lloyd Wright—approaches its fiftieth anniversary in 2009, aspects of its facade and rotunda structure require restoration. This exhibition explores in depth the restoration team's work, which has included a systematic evaluation and documentation of the building, an unprecedented analysis of the rotunda structure, laboratory and field investigation of repair materials, and detailed environmental analysis to propose adequate repair methods.

Photographs, drawings, and videos document the components of the current restoration, including reinforcement of the upper ramp walls, installation of a corrosion protection system, replacement of skylights and windows, repair of the cracking curved exterior walls, and application of a new exterior coating. The exhibition surveys all these efforts to restore the exterior to its original splendor and to maintain the building's unique environment for both the art and the visitor.
—Monica Ramirez-Montagut

The restoration of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is made possible through the generous support of Peter B. Lewis, the Board of Trustees of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, and the City of New York under the auspices of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the City Council, and the Department of Cultural Affairs.