Solomon R. Guggenheim
Solomon R. Guggenheim | |
---|---|
Born | Solomon Robert Guggenheim February 2, 1861 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
Died | November 3, 1949 Long Island, New York, US | (aged 88)
Occupation(s) | Businessman, art collector, philanthropist |
Known for | Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum |
Spouse |
Irene Rothschild (m. 1895) |
Children | 3 |
Parent |
|
Family | Guggenheim |
Solomon Robert Guggenheim (February 2, 1861 – November 3, 1949) was an American businessman and art collector. He is best known for establishing the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
Guggenheim was born into a wealthy mining family, and he founded the Yukon Gold Company in Alaska, among other business interests. He began collecting art in the 1890s, and he retired from his business after World War I to pursue art collecting. He eventually focused on modern art under the guidance of artist Baroness Hilla von Rebay, creating an important collection by the 1930s and opened his first museum in 1939.
Early life, family and education
Guggenheim was born in
Guggenheim was a student in Switzerland at the Concordia Institute in Zürich.
Career
In 1891, he
Art collector
He began collecting works of the
Foundation and museum
In 1937, Guggenheim established the
By the early 1940s, the museum had accumulated such a large collection of avant-garde paintings that the need for a permanent building to house the art collection had become apparent.
The museum was renamed the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1952, after Solomon Guggenheim's death in 1949. Its new building opened in New York City on October 21, 1959.[1]
Personal life and death
Solomon Guggenheim married Irene Rothschild, daughter of Victor Henry Rothschild, in 1895.[6] These Rothschilds were not related to the Rothschild banking family. Solomon and Irene's children were Eleanor May (1896–1992; later Lady Castle Stewart after her marriage to Arthur Stuart, 7th Earl Castle Stewart), Gertrude (1898–1966) and Barbara Guggenheim (1904–1985).[1]
Guggenheim died in 1949 on Long Island, New York.
Legacy
In addition to the New York Museum, the Guggenheim Foundation operates, among other things, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, which was established by Guggenheim's niece, Peggy Guggenheim.
See also
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Boyan, Michael (2006). "Solomon R. Guggenheim". Penn State University Libraries. Archived from the original on 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ^ a b c "Biography: Solomon R. Guggenheim". The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ^ a b Vail, Karole, ed. (2009). The Museum of Non-Objective Painting. New York: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
- ^ a b c Calnek, Anthony; et al. (2006). The Guggenheim Collection. New York: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. pp. 39–40.
- ^ Winter, Damon (October 21, 2009). "Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "Irene Rothschild Guggenheim". JWA.org. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
General and cited references
- Davis, John H. (1994) [1989]. The Guggenheims: An American Epic. SP Books. ISBN 1561713511.