The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue in New York was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who had been commissioned in the 1940s by the Guggenheim Foundation to build a home for its collection of non-objective art. Its design was unusual: a white spiral ramp winds around a central open space, and visitors walk down it while viewing the works. The building took years to complete and opened in October 1959, only a few months after Wright's death. It has been admired as a landmark of modern architecture, though some critics complained that it competes with the art. In 2019 it was included in a UNESCO World Heritage listing of Wright's works.
Before and after
- from 31 July 1959 to 20 October 2011Basque conflict
- 12 September 1959Launch of Luna 2
- 4 October 1959Launch of Luna 3
- 9 October 1959Birth of Boris Nemtsov
- 21 October 1959Construction of Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- 23 October 1959Birth of "Weird Al" Yankovic
- 26 October 1959Birth of Evo Morales
- 1 December 1959Antarctic Treaty System
- 1960Founding of Somalia
More in Art, literature & culture
- 17 August 1945Publication of Animal Farm
- 1949Publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four
- c. 1950sRise of pop art
- 1955Publication of Guinness World Records
- from 31 March 1997 to 11 November 2022Premiere of Teletubbies
- 2004Construction of Cam Ranh International Airport
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.