What IS this...giant upside down cupcake?

All across America, the world in fact, is indescribable beauty often referred to as visions of grandeur. Many such wonders occur naturally while others are man-made. Within those made by the hands of man lies the world of architecture, which is fascinating as it features an artistic flair filled with strange, weird, bizarre, wonderful buildings. Like beauty itself, architecture is observed differently through the eyes of each beholder.

This Day in History: October 21, 1959

The building in the photo below to some might resemble a giant upside down cupcake. Unusual? Yes. Artistic? Most definitely. Not only is the building itself seen as an art form but it is home to one of the world's renown collections of art.

Not a cupcake but just as deliciously enjoyable. This is the Guggenheim Museum. So, what is its connection to this day in history? On October 21, 1959, the home to one of the world's top collections of contemporary art opened to a waiting crowd of thousands of people on New York City's Fifth Avenue. Inside, a long ramp spiraled upwards for a total of a quarter-mile around a large central rotunda, topped by a domed glass ceiling. Reflecting the architect's love of nature, the 50,000-meter space resembled a giant seashell, with each room opening fluidly into the next. Indeed a sea of wonder!

Museum under construction in photo taken on Nov. 12, 1957

An interior view of the museum on a busy day

The skylight in the center of the museum

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is one of the best-known museums in New York City and one of the 20th century's most important architectural landmarks. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum, which is often called simply The Guggenheim, is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Early Modern, and Contemporary Art, and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.

Wright's creation continues to be awe-inspiring with many of the 900,000-plus visitors who visit the Guggenheim each year making their own odd comparisons to the design—a Jello mold! a washing machine! a pile of twisted ribbon! a giant upside down cupcake!

Inhouse to online...

For a peep into the museum, the Collection Online features a searchable database of selected artworks from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection. The site currently contains more than 1450 artworks by over 470 artists from the Guggenheim’s overall permanent collection of over 7,000 artworks.

Collection Highlight

Édouard Manet, Before the Mirror (Devant la glace), 1876