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Painting Over the Past at the Guggenheim
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 16, 2007
Modified Oct 17, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 16, 2007
Modified Oct 17, 2011
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As we've mentioned, the Guggenheim is being renovated—but what's currently going on under all that scaffolding? Now that the museum has been stripped of its paint, it's time to order the paint cans. Unfortunately, the Guggenheim isn't sure what color to paint the exterior, because architect Frank Lloyd Wright actually chose a different shade of color for the building—a color that was painted over five years after the museum opened in 1959.
Newsday explains that the colors at the center of the discussion are Powell Buff (near right), the color Wright liked, and London Fog (far right), the color the museum has had for years. Wright never liked the color white, so some feel that Wright's original wishes should be respected. However, one counter-argument (from the Guggenheim) is that the museum as a whole with its various additions "is more than the iconic circular structure designed by Wright." Maybe, maybe not - can anyone recall the other additions as well as Wright's building?
The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, which must approve changes to the museum's exterior, has been visiting the museum "at different times of the day to compare the swatches." Might we suggest this shade - New York? Then again, Frank Lloyd Wright hated New York; he once said about the location of NYC for the Guggenheim, "I can think of several more desirable places in the world to build his great museum, but we will have to try New York." And he also said, "It [New York City] is a great monument to the power of money and greed. ..a race for rent."
Wright designed one home in New York City, Crimson Beech, amidst the leafiness of Staten Island. And did you know there's a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Wisconsin available as a vacation rental?
Photograph by dietrich on Flickr
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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