Oscar Stonorov, Frank Lloyd Wright and others viewing model of future Guggenheim Museum at "Sixty Years of Living Architecture," exhibit, Florence, Italy, 1951

Wright was commissioned in 1943 to design a unique structure to hold the avant-garde art collection of mining magnate Solomon R. Guggenheim. Wright's spiral design recalled a nautilus shell with continuous spaces flowing freely one into another, while also using geometric shapes to express certain human ideas, moods, sentiments. For example, the circle represents infinity; the triangle: structural unity; the spiral: organic process; and the square: integrity. When the museum opened in 1959, Wright’s design was considered ahead of its time—even shocking to some. The structure, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is located in Manhattan, New York City.