Hilla Rebay in her studio in Connecticut at the end of the 1950s

~Skimming the main points alone is enough to show why the Guggenheim evokes an aloof detachment, even to the point of self-conceit. In retelling the story, it is important to remember that the building’s present name, the “Guggenheim Museum,” is only the latest in a series of different appellations. For his part, Solomon originally called it...