Finding 17: Rudolf Bauer Correspondence

Rudolf Bauer, a German-born artist, immigrated to the United States in 1939 to work for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Bauer held various roles within the museum; he acquired paintings, gave lectures, and selected artists for exhibitions, to name a few. Bauer wrote this postcard, dated 1944, to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation after a trip to the Washington, D.C., galleries. His journey to the Mellon Art Gallery led him to discover that the institution did not have turnstiles, despite providing admission to “hundreds and hundreds of visitors daily.” As if in amazement, Bauer emphatically repeated on the postcard, "no turnstile!" During this period, the museum staff was in the process of designing a new museum. Therefore, Bauer’s attention was not on the artwork, but on the building’s design.

—Martha Horan, archives assistant