Wright, the Guggenheim and Golden Anniversaries
Two major events occurred 50 years ago within the span of a few months, and the
Guggenheim Museum will open an exhibit next month to commemorate this Golden Anniversary.
via desertnews.com; Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright during construction, ca. 1959, via gothamist.com;
Opening day, October 21, 1959, via gothamist.com; /Artwork: designslinger]
It took more than 16 years of planning, discussions, more planning, set backs, more
planning and several years of construction, to get the Guggenheim Museum up and running at its 5th Avenue location in Manhattan. By the time it opened in October, 1959, the building's architect Frank Lloyd Wright, had been dead for all of 6 months. A man who thrived on publicity the way most of us depend on the air we breathe for sustenance, Wright missed the biggest PR moment of his life, dying at the ripe old age of 92.
Interior view of ramps, Pet_r via flickr; Conch shell, Joshua Davis via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]
The museum is Wright's most popularly recognized building, though Fallingwater gives the
structure a run for its money. His spiral design has been equated with the interior structure of a conch shell...
skylight, matt.hinsta via flickr; Coiled spring, kimberlyfaye via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]
.... but I've always thought of it as a coiled spring - unsprung.
If you are at all familiar with Wright, you probably know that not only was he a great
architect, but one of the more controversial personalities of the 20th century. The design he came up with for Solomon R. Guggenheim's art collection satisfied the controversy component of Wright's career, right up until the very end of the architect's life.
Spring Green, WI., March, 1999, Elliot, findagrave.com; Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, 1971, via steinerag.com; /Artwork:
designslinger]
Twenty-six years after his death, Wright was still causing a stir. When he died on
April 9, 1959 in Arizona, his body was brought back to Wisconsin, where he was buried in the small, family cemetery just below the hill of his home, Taliesin, in a valley rooted in Wright's life. When his 3rd, and last wife Olgivanna died in 1985, Frank's body was secretly dug out of his grave, cremated and sent to Arizona to be placed at Taliesin West, along with his wife's ashy remains, which was Mrs. Wright's last wish.The Wisconsin legislature, the Governor, and Wright's children from his first marriage, tried to stop the process, but to no avail. Although his Wisconsin resting place still has its stone marker, he no longer resides there, and no one associated with Taliesin West will reveal if, or where, his remains were buried.
The Guggenheim exhibit opens May 15th and runs until August 23rd. The museum has also
published a book, along with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, The Guggenheim: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Making of the Modern Museum, which hit the stands May 1st.
Posted by designslinger at 4/23/2009 4:30 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Art, Architects
Tags: controversy Olgivanna Lloyd Wright Guggenheim Museum burial sites Frank Lloyd Wright
Categories: Architecture, Art, Architects
Tags: controversy Olgivanna Lloyd Wright Guggenheim Museum burial sites Frank Lloyd Wright
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