Happy Birthday, Hilla Rebay! 🎉
An artist, curator, collector, and the Guggenheim Museum's first director, Hilla Rebay played an essential role in shaping one of the world’s leading collections of modern art. Her vision for nonobjective art helped guide Solomon R. Guggenheim’s collecting journey, beginning with the acquisition of Vasily Kandinsky’s "Composition 8" in 1930 and growing into a collection that would define the museum for generations to come.
Beyond her work with the museum, Rebay championed artists including Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Alexander Calder, Piet Mondrian, and Karl Schwitters, while continuing her own artistic practice throughout her life. Today, her legacy remains deeply woven into the Guggenheim’s history and collection.
Visit the museum to experience the collection Rebay helped shape, then stop by Café Rebay for coffee and a moment inspired by her enduring legacy. 🌀
(1) Hilla Rebay with a model of the future Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1945. Photo courtesy Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives, New York. (2) Hilla Rebay in her studio, ca. 1946. Photo courtesy Hilla von Rebay Foundation Archive. (3) Hilla Rebay, Composition I, 1915.