The Guggenheim Museum Announces 2023 Acquisitions

In 2023, the Guggenheim acquired 102 works by more than 60 artists, over half of whom are new to the collection. The works, spanning from 1928 to the present day, further the Guggenheim’s commitment to expanding the purview of its interpretation and presentation of modern and contemporary art by focusing on acquiring works that embody diversity and innovation.

The acquisitions comprise a diverse group of modern and contemporary works across various mediums, including André Masson’s painting Le Dormeur (1942); Barbara Chase-Riboud’s sculpture Pushkin (1984–85); and Sanford Biggers’s wall-based textile sculpture Poly (2023). Highlights also include works by artists who have recently exhibited at the Guggenheim: Nick Cave’s Gestalt (2012) and Arm Peace (2019); Alex Katz’s Muna (1990) and Sunrise (2019); Sung Neung Kyung’s Here (1975), Mirror (1975), and Measure (1975); and Lee Kun-Yong’s Snail’s Gallop (1975/2023), a commission presented during the Guggenheim’s Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s performance series.

Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator, states: “This group of extraordinary works not only represents the Guggenheim’s commitment to collecting and preserving modern and contemporary art, it also celebrates the broadening scope of artists, leaders, and visionaries that continue to shape the museum’s legacy.”

New works by artists such as Sol Calero, Sheroanawë Hakihiiwë, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim, and Moshekwa Langa enrich the museum’s deep holdings of international artists. Renowned artists such as Terry Adkins, Martha Diamond, Tracey Emin, and Thaddeus Mosley enter the collection for the first time.

A gift of thirty-five artworks from the Elizabeth R. and Michael M. Rea Collection includes significant canvases by Ad Reinhardt and Anne Truitt and also enhances the museum’s holdings of works on paper, including drawings by Alberto Giacometti, Roy Lichtenstein, and Yves Tanguy. Notably, Jacob Lawrence’s Tragedy and Comedy Theater, Series No. 2, a tempera and gesso painting on panel from 1952, is now the Guggenheim’s earliest work by a Black artist. Seven video works by the late Dennis Oppenheim enter the museum’s robust collection of time-based media. Furthermore, twelve artworks were acquired in honor of Richard Armstrong, former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation.

These acquisitions were funded in large part by the museum’s acquisition committees, including the Collections Council, International Director’s Council, Asian Art Circle, Latin American Circle, Middle Eastern Circle, Photography Council, and Young Collectors Council, to ensure selections embrace a range of geographies, disciplines, timelines, and cultures.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The international constellation of museums includes the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. An architectural icon and “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is now among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. To learn more about the museum and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.