(NEW YORK, NY, April 29, 2014) - The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation announced today that it has engaged Malcolm Reading Consultants to manage the architectural competition for the proposed Guggenheim Helsinki museum. The competition will be inaugurated on June 4, 2014, and is expected to run for one calendar year.
Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, stated:
‘This is the first time the Foundation has engaged in an open, international competition for the design of a Guggenheim museum. There are multiple reasons we are taking this important step, from our desire to attract the finest architectural thinking from both emerging and established practices to our recognition of Finland’s keen interest in architecture and design—one of the important motivating factors in our desire to create a museum in Helsinki. It is crucial that the competition be managed with unquestioned independence by an international firm of the highest professional standards and expertise. The best organization for the purpose is Malcolm Reading Consultants.’
Malcolm Reading, architect and Chairman, Malcolm Reading Consultants, said:
‘We are delighted to manage this competition for the design of a proposed Guggenheim Helsinki. The site on Helsinki’s historic waterfront has great civic and cultural promise. When combined with the renown of the Guggenheim’s name and mission, I am sure it will inspire the competitors to create distinctive and memorable designs that will resonate with local residents and speak to an international audience.’
A specialist in architectural competitions for museums and arts, heritage, and non-profit organizations, the London-based Malcolm Reading Consultants has administered architectural competitions for the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Glasgow School of Art, the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, and the Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow, among others. The firm’s role in the Guggenheim Helsinki competition will include liaising with stakeholders at the Guggenheim Foundation, the City of Helsinki, the State of Finland, and the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), and ensuring absolute independence in the competition process.
Final preparations for the competition are in progress, with full details to be announced at the launch on June 4. To sign up to receive information about the competition, visit the competition website.
About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The Guggenheim network that began in the 1970s when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, was joined by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice has since expanded to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened 1997) and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (currently in development). Looking to the future, the Guggenheim Foundation continues to forge international collaborations that take contemporary art, architecture, and design beyond the walls of the museum, including with the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative and with The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. More information about the Foundation can be found at guggenheim.org.
