Solomon R. Guggenheim
Encyclopedia
Solomon Robert Guggenheim (February 2, 1861 – November 3, 1949) was an American
businessman, art collector, and philanthropist
.
, son of Meyer Guggenheim
and brother of Simon
, Benjamin
, Daniel
and four other siblings.
Following studies in Switzerland
at the Concordia Institute in Zürich, he returned to the United States
to work in the family mining business, later founding the Yukon Gold Company in Alaska
. In 1891, he turned around the Compañia de la Gran Fundicion Nacional Mexicana.
He married Irene Rothschild in 1895. Among his children were Eleanor Guggenheim (later Lady Castle Stewart), and Gertrude Guggenheim.
He began collecting works of the old masters in the 1890's. He retired from his business in 1919 to devote more time to art collecting and in 1926, met Hilla Rebay. In 1930, they visited Vasily Kandinsky’s studio in Dessau
and Guggenheim began to purchase his work. Initially, the collection was displayed at Guggenheim's apartment in the Plaza Hotel
in New York City
.
In 1937, he established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
to foster the appreciation of modern art
and in 1939, he and Rebay opened the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, at 24 East Fifty-fourth Street. In 1943, Guggenheim and Rebay commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright
to design a new museum to hold the growing collection. Construction on The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
in New York City
was began in 1955 and it opened October 21, 1959. Many pieces in the museum's collection are from Solomon's personal collection.
In addition to the New York Museum, the Guggehheim Foundation opened a museum
in Bilbao
, Spain
in 1997, and operates a museum
in Venice which was established by Solomon's niece, Peggy Guggenheim
. It operates another museum
in cooperation with Deutsche Bank
in Berlin and will open the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
in 2013.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, art collector, and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Biography
He was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, son of Meyer Guggenheim
Meyer Guggenheim
Meyer Guggenheim was the patriarch of what became known as the Guggenheim family. He was born in Lengnau, Aargau, Switzerland, was of German Jewish ancestry and emigrated to the United States in 1847...
and brother of Simon
Simon Guggenheim
Simon Guggenheim was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist.-Life:He was the son of Meyer Guggenheim and Barbara Guggenheim, and was the younger brother of Daniel Guggenheim and Solomon R...
, Benjamin
Benjamin Guggenheim
Benjamin Guggenheim was an American businessman. He died aboard when the ship sank near Cape Race, Newfoundland.-Early life:...
, Daniel
Daniel Guggenheim
Daniel Guggenheim was an American industrialist and philanthropist, and a son of Meyer Guggenheim.-Biography:...
and four other siblings.
Following studies in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
at the Concordia Institute in Zürich, he returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to work in the family mining business, later founding the Yukon Gold Company in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. In 1891, he turned around the Compañia de la Gran Fundicion Nacional Mexicana.
He married Irene Rothschild in 1895. Among his children were Eleanor Guggenheim (later Lady Castle Stewart), and Gertrude Guggenheim.
He began collecting works of the old masters in the 1890's. He retired from his business in 1919 to devote more time to art collecting and in 1926, met Hilla Rebay. In 1930, they visited Vasily Kandinsky’s studio in Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
and Guggenheim began to purchase his work. Initially, the collection was displayed at Guggenheim's apartment in the Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1937, he established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist Hilla von Rebay. The first museum established by the foundation was the "Museum of Non-Objective Art", which was housed in rented space on Park Avenue in New York....
to foster the appreciation of modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
and in 1939, he and Rebay opened the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, at 24 East Fifty-fourth Street. In 1943, Guggenheim and Rebay commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
to design a new museum to hold the growing collection. Construction on The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was began in 1955 and it opened October 21, 1959. Many pieces in the museum's collection are from Solomon's personal collection.
In addition to the New York Museum, the Guggehheim Foundation opened a museum
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1997, and operates a museum
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is an art museum on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is one of several museums of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation....
in Venice which was established by Solomon's niece, Peggy Guggenheim
Peggy Guggenheim
Marguerite "Peggy" Guggenheim was an American art collector. Born to a wealthy New York City family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with the Titanic in 1912 and the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who would establish the Solomon R...
. It operates another museum
Deutsche Guggenheim
The Deutsche Guggenheim is an art museum, located in the ground floor of the Deutsche Bank building, a sandstone building constructed in 1920 on the Unter den Linden boulevard in Berlin, Germany....
in cooperation with Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
in Berlin and will open the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a planned museum, to be located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. On July 8, 2006, the city of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, announced it had signed an agreement with the Guggenheim Foundation in New York to build a Guggenheim Museum. It will be the world's largest...
in 2013.