In 1937, Solomon R. Guggenheim established a foundation with the goal of opening a museum to publicly exhibit and preserve his holdings of modern art. Since then, the museum’s founding collection has been enhanced through major gifts and purchases from pioneering individuals who share Guggenheim’s spirit. A Chronology: The Guggenheim Collection, 1909–1979 presents a visually dynamic time line of this extraordinary metamorphosis from private collection to public museum.

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Irene Guggenheim, Vasily Kandinsky, Hilla Rebay, and Solomon R. Guggenheim at the Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany, July 7, 1930. Photo: Nina Kandinsky