Some background

videos + essays

Link to the Guggenheim's website

Kandinsky, Apocalypse, Abstraction
Kandinsky, Apocalypse, Abstraction

Kandinsky believed that humankind was on the verge of a cataclysmic change from the current, materialistic epoch to an “Epoch of the Great Spiritual.”

The Cubist City – Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger
The Cubist City – Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger

Delaunay and Léger used Cubism’s abstract language of fractured forms and spatial dislocations to express the modern urban experience.

Georges Braque, <em>Violin and Palette</em>
Georges Braque, Violin and Palette

Despite its often baffling innovations, one of the defining features of Cubism is its engagement with the Western painting tradition.

Alfredo Jaar, <em>A Logo for America</em>
Alfredo Jaar, A Logo for America

Using the language of advertising, Jaar conveys a political message about who “Americans” really are.

Donald Judd, <em>Untitled</em>
Donald Judd, Untitled

Judd’s boxes were made by factory workers, not by the artist—but he provided instructions.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City
Frank Lloyd Wright, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City

Wright pushed the limits of engineering with poured concrete, and relied on a contractor who build parking garages.

Vasily Kandinsky, <em>Improvisation 28</em> (second version)
Vasily Kandinsky, Improvisation 28 (second version)

What would this painting sound like? Yes, you read that right – this canvas blurs the lines between senses.

Bill Viola, <em>The Crossing</em>
Bill Viola, The Crossing

Viola’s multi-channel video installations experiment with meditative states and the manipulation of time.