The Guggenheim’s High-Stakes Gamble

Thomas Krens' vision of the Guggenheim's international empire is so ambitious that even he doesn't expect all of his projects to come to fruition. The museum's critics are skeptical, calling it misguided. Its supporters say it is merely misunderstood 

Excerpt:

Few can recall a museum and its director generating so much curiosity, con- fusion, and controversy. 

The Guggenheim shut down completely for renovation in May 1990, less than two years after Krens took over. Since then, the tall, mild-mannered man with the wire-rimmed glasses has been jetting around the globe, playing a high- stakes game of diplomacy and finance that involves big art, big spaces, and big money. 

Krens' vision of the Guggenheim's empire is so ambitious that even he admits it might not all be realized. Austrian politicians are debating a $90 million Guggenheim Museum Salzburg, designed by Austrian architect Hans Hollein, to be housed inside a giant rock. Down the Grand Canal from Peggy Guggenheim's palazzo, there's a customs house that Krens envisions as a future Guggenheim Museum Venice. Then there's Mass MoCA….

Read more in ARTnews, May 1992