Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim is an art museum enclosed in a tower which is traversable by a single pitched ramp (and elevator). The museum fulfills this captivating presence, a mystical place which will sweep you away from the self. The artwork is laid out along the spiraling walkway, eventually, whether while contemplating the works or sauntering to the next, you lose yourself. The seemingly endless wandering culminates in the idea that the spiral will never end, until finally, the walk is over. The Guggenheim captures an essence of the endless, achieving this remarkable scale which places upon the occupant a sense of humility.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Similarly the Met, embodies a similar sense of scale, but through different means. The Met is large, throughout this museum this is apparent. Here it is not by any tricks of traversal that the Met leans into, but the sheer size of the building and its collection. One of the many exhibitions that captures this theme across the Met, is the Charles Engelhard Court. Upon walking into the main floor you are greeted by a massive atrium filling the room with natural light. The room itself, incredibly massive, filled with figures all across the floor. The far wall, which reached the ceiling, holds within it the facade of an 18th century American bank. The expansive room, captures a similar sense of humility within the occupant, allowing one to recognize themself and appreciate their surroundings.
