On October 11 I went to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum with my friends Derek, Devon, Serge, Jessica, Kenny, and Raymond. We were excited to see the new temporary exhibits as well as the permanent installations.
We were unpleasantly surprised, however, to find out that part of the museum was under construction and therefore unavailable for us to enjoy. That did not stop us and we continued make our way up the rotunda stopping to look at the paintings that were still handing. I enjoyed a piece that was painted in Germany after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It was a huge canvas with the logos of everyday items like Gain laundry detergent being swirled and mixed together. The visible message of cultural diffusion throughout Germany made the painting quite beautiful and definitely memorable. (I’d put a photo but the security at the Guggenheim was very adamant about their “no photos” rule)
The museum was so quiet, empty, and lacking in life. Without the colorful paintings and exhibits lining the halls it seemed as if the museum itself was dead. Even in “death” it was like the museum was the exhibit. A mesh of paper painted to look like a broken chain link fence guarded unavailable areas. Light installations in the hallway (as opposed to the natural light that would be present usually) were made to look like hanging lights you’d find in a mine. Colorful lines were put on the ground and on the wall to keep our attention at you move the dark and desolate hallways between exhibits. The sound of people discussing art was all but silenced as there weren’t many people who wanted to see an all but empty museum.
All in all, it was very interesting to go there while it was under construction because I’ve been there when it wasn’t. There were fewer paintings but that meant that you could really concentrate on the ones that were there and not get overwhelmed with the hundreds that are there usually. I could have done without the constant smell of paint though.
