November 30, 2016: The Guggenheim Museum, New York

I'm not a big fan of the Guggenheim's collection, but i do love the building, and wonder why it hasn't become the template for many others. Quite aside from its own beauty, it seems one of the best ways to display art.

I'm often frustrated in museums by a labyrinth of rooms, not always well laid out, that keep me from back-tracking to reconsider a painting I'd passed in light of ones I saw further on. The spiral solves that brilliantly. 

In 1962, my uncle, a painter, took me there to see an exhibit of Philip Guston's work; organized along the spiral I could follow his descent (my view) from social realism to expressionism...and could see how the change began and grew. The open gallery along the walls of the spiral let us move back and forth, comparing, and learning much more than I could have otherwise. 

Mr. Wright was a genius.  A beautiful use of space, nicely illustrated, Jonathan.  This is actually one of those places I've yet to visit and hope to some day.