With the opening of the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward on May 15, 2009, the Guggenheim inaugurated a yearlong celebration of art, architecture, and innovation to mark the 50th Anniversary of its landmark building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Along with this opening show, groundbreaking exhibitions were planned throughout the year, including The Sweeney Decade: Acquisitions at the 1959 Inaugural (June 5–September 2, 2009), which drew on work acquired by James Johnson Sweeney during his tenure as director from 1952 to 1960; and Kandinsky (September 18, 2009–January 13, 2010), a full-scale retrospective of Vasily Kandinsky, an artist who has been collected in depth for the museum's permanent collection since its founding.

As part of the celebration, the Guggenheim is took part in a number of free public programs and city-wide events during the anniversary year. These include hosting the opening ceremony for Museum Mile Festival on June 9; a free day at the museum on October 21, the anniversary day, with special education programs planned especially for families; and the museum’s first live-music series, It Came from Brooklyn. View the Programs page for more information on these and other programs.

Also, now available is an interactive time line of the design and construction of the Guggenheim Museum as it took place over a sixteen-year period, from 1943–1959. Titled "Keeping Faith with an Idea: A Time Line of the Guggenheim Museum, 1943–59," it features previously unpublished archival materials such as letters, photographs, and films of the construction, as well as audio and video of current experts on the architecture and construction of the building.

Exterior view of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Photo: David Heald