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208:. His mother came from a family of musicians, and his father was an art historian and a professor of German. He studied chemistry in Prague until September 2, 1939, when he sailed for England, but the following day England declared war with Germany, and the ship on which he was travelling, the Athenia, was torpedoed and sunk. Messer was rescued and soon travelled to the United States, where he enrolled as an
306:
It turned out that the combination could work well in the
Guggenheim's space, but, Messer recalled that at the time, "I was scared. I half felt that this would be my last exhibition." Messer had the foresight to prepare by staging a smaller sculpture exhibition the previous year, in which he
352:, by 1988. Messer's retirement announcement coincided with the 50th birthday celebration of the Guggenheim Museum. At the exhibition put on in celebration, "virtually every foreign artist who has ever shown at the Guggenheim flew in to pay tribute" to Messer.
31:
283:-designed building's unique continuous spiral ramp gallery that is tilted, with curved walls. Almost immediately, in 1962, he took a risk putting on a large exhibition that combined the Guggenheim's paintings with
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188:-designed Guggenheim as a venue for the display of art, despite the doubts of critics and artists. Messer was instrumental in expanding the museum's collection during his tenure, especially by persuading
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348:
Messer served as director of the
Guggenheim Foundation from 1980 to 1988. He announced his retirement from the Guggenheim in November 1987, and a search committee found his replacement,
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1004:
295:," where any vertical object appears tilted in a "drunken lurch" because the slope of the floor and the curvature of the walls could combine to produce vexing optical illusions.
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at a particular angle, so the pieces were not at a true vertical yet appeared to be so. In the earlier sculpture show, this trick proved impossible for one piece, an
247:
in Paris. Receiving his degree in 1947, he returned to the U.S., where he married
Remedio Garcia Villa (d. 2002). From 1949 to 1952, he served as the director of the
279:
Messer took over at the
Guggenheim Museum in 1961, at a time when the museum's ability to present art at all was in doubt due to the challenges of working in the
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236:
355:
From 1990, he was a freelance curator, teacher, writer and arts consultant. Messer died at his home in New York City on May 15, 2013, at the age of 93.
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In 1963, Messer acquired for the museum an important private modern art collection from art dealer Justin K. Thannhauser. At Messer's urging, in 1976,
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291:. Three-dimensional sculpture, in particular, entailed, "the problem of installing such a show in a museum bearing so close a resemblance to the
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224:, Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1942. After working as a multilingual monitor and interrogator for military intelligence at the
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184:. In 1961, he became director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. There, he was able to establish the usefulness of the spiral-shaped
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to donate her collection to the
Guggenheim Foundation. He retired in 1988 to take up freelance curating, teaching, writing, lecturing.
984:
989:
337:, to the foundation. After her death in 1979, the collection of more than 300 important works was re-opened to the public as the
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125:
781:, Special Tribute Norris Embry, The Norris Embry Estate and Norris Embry Artworks Collection Ltd (2012), accessed April 11, 2012
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180:. From 1947 to 1961, he worked in a series of art and museum administration positions, the last of which was director of the
791:
994:
475:
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717:
Canaday, John (August 17, 1962), "Museum
Director Solves Problem; Guggenheim Official Faces Troubles of Architecture",
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345:, an exhibition held every other summer. In 1986, the Foundation purchased the Palladian-style pavilion building.
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1990–2012 Freelance curating, teaching, writing, lecturing and other work in arts and culture.
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in 1980. Since 1985, the
Guggenheim Foundation has also operated the U.S. Pavilion of the
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Born and raised in
Czechoslovakia, Messer became a U.S. citizen in 1944 and served in the
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vertical, "suggesting hallucination" in the disorienting context of the tilted floor.
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discovered how to compensate for the space's weird geometry by constructing special
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616:"Thomas M. Messer, 93; built Guggenheim collection, ran Boston's ICA - Obituaries"
251:, except for a year's leave of absence, when he studied for a master's degree in
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748:"Thomas M. Messer, Museum Director Who Gave Guggenheim Cachet, Dies at 93"
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and became a U.S. citizen in 1944, seeing combat overseas in 1944–1945.
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330:
308:
240:
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158:
868:"2 Guggenheim Curators Promoted to Directors; 'Seemed Appropriate'"
792:"Oral History Interview with Thomas M. Messer, 1994 Oct.-1995 Jan."
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263:. He then was assistant director and later director at the
271:
and, for part of that time, taught modern art at
Harvard.
145:(February 9, 1920 – May 15, 2013) was the director of the
901:"The Guggenheim Collection Celebrates Itself and Its Art"
573:
1981–1988 Director, The
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
525:
1960 Adjunct Professor of modern art, Harvard University
811:, p. 77, Guggenheim Museum Publications: New York, 1998
582:
1988 Retired from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
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until 1956. From 1957 to 1961, he was director of the
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People of the United States Office of War Information
220:. He switched to the study of modern languages at
132:
120:
85:
77:
65:
40:
21:
302:The Guggenheim's gallery – part of the spiral ramp
542:1966 Senior Fellow of Center For Advanced Study,
685:"Director of Guggenheim Retiring After 27 Years"
168:in World War II. He earned a master's degree in
528:1961–88 Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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243:, Germany, studying art for the first time at
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1005:United States Army personnel of World War II
585:1989 Appointed Director Emeritus, Guggenheim
452:Office of Military Government, United States
443:1944–1945 Combat duty in France, regimental
237:Office of Military Government, United States
1015:Czechoslovak emigrants to the United States
831:, October 21, 2009, accessed March 12, 2012
819:
817:
798:, January 25, 1995, accessed March 13, 2012
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738:
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29:
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975:Directors of museums in the United States
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329:donated her art collection and home in
848:. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
496:(leave of absence from Roswell Museum)
521:Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
471:1948 Marriage to Remedio Garcia Villa
394:), Graduated from industrial school (
318:whose wire inevitably hung at a true
269:Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
182:Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
7:
926:Smith, Miles A. (January 31, 1961),
407:Institute of International Education
235:After the war, Messer worked at the
899:Russell, John (November 13, 1987),
557:International Exhibitions Committee
550:Center for Inter–American Relations
928:"New York Museum Has New Director"
683:Russell, John (November 5, 1987),
14:
825:"The priceless Peggy Guggenheim"
429:1942–43 Multilingual monitor at
228:in New York, he enlisted in the
204:, Czechoslovakia and grew up in
147:Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
126:Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
809:Peggy Guggenheim: A Celebration
505:1953–55 Director of Exhibitions
468:, Paris, France. Return to U.S.
462:Cours de Civilisation Française
779:Thomas Messer curriculum vitae
536:1966, 1971 Adjunct Professor,
513:1956 Consultant and Director,
1:
655:Gale Biography In Context Web
476:Roswell Museum and Art Center
401:1938 Awarded scholarship for
382:1926–1939 Elementary school (
364:Sources, except as indicated:
249:Roswell Museum and Art Center
136:Remedio Garcia Villa (1948– )
614:Bruce Weber (May 17, 2013).
499:1952–53 Assistant Director,
151:Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1000:United States Army soldiers
846:Peggy Guggenheim Collection
569:Peggy Guggenheim Collection
501:American Federation of Arts
339:Peggy Guggenheim Collection
265:American Federation of Arts
155:Peggy Guggenheim Collection
1031:
980:Wesleyan University people
371:Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
293:circular geography of hell
275:Guggenheim and later years
59:Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
985:Harvard University alumni
431:Office of War Information
226:Office of War Information
153:in New York City and the
28:
990:Boston University alumni
796:Archives of American Art
591:n/a Writer and Trustee,
567:1980 Director Emeritus,
422:1941–1942 Undergraduate
418:Greenville, Pennsylvania
335:Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
218:Greenville, Pennsylvania
16:American museum director
412:1939 Undergraduate at
303:
651:The Writers Directory
552:(Percy R. Pyne House)
445:military intelligence
301:
995:Thiel College alumni
649:"Thomas M. Messer",
561:1977–80 President,
544:Wesleyan University
466:Sorbonne University
200:Messer was born in
143:Thomas Maria Messer
101:Sorbonne University
45:Thomas Maria Messer
936:, Associated Press
906:The New York Times
872:The New York Times
752:The New York Times
720:The New York Times
690:The New York Times
519:1957–61 Director,
494:Harvard University
474:1949–52 Director,
440:. U.S. citizenship
304:
281:Frank Lloyd Wright
261:Harvard University
186:Frank Lloyd Wright
178:Harvard University
115:Harvard University
970:American curators
723:, pp. 25, 47
424:Boston University
287:on loan from the
222:Boston University
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94:Boston University
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620:The Boston Globe
611:
578:Americas Society
563:MacDowell Colony
508:1955–56 Director
403:exchange studies
327:Peggy Guggenheim
313:Alexander Calder
289:Hirshhorn Museum
210:exchange student
190:Peggy Guggenheim
149:, including the
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55:February 9, 1920
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52:
33:
23:Thomas M. Messer
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659:St. James Press
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555:1976–78 Chair,
548:1974– Trustee,
538:Barnard College
531:1980–88 Trustee
456:Munich, Germany
436:1944 Enlisted,
426:, Massachusetts
405:to U.S., under
361:
343:Venice Biennale
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56:
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874:. 1980-11-08.
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807:Vail, Karole.
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756:
754:, May 15, 2013
746:Weber, Bruce.
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593:Wooster School
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576:1981 Trustee,
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482:Master of Arts
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375:1924 Moved to
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121:Known for
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73:(aged 93)
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35:Messer in 1985
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26:
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842:"US Pavilion"
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823:Walsh, John.
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464:diploma from
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414:Thiel College
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379:at age 3 or 4
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90:Thiel College
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938:, retrieved
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921:
910:, retrieved
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883:. Retrieved
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850:. Retrieved
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808:
803:
795:
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751:
718:
694:, retrieved
688:
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623:. Retrieved
619:
609:
396:Czechoslovak
363:
362:
354:
350:Thomas Krens
347:
324:
305:
278:
245:the Sorbonne
234:
199:
163:
142:
141:
124:Director of
71:(2013-05-15)
69:May 15, 2013
965:2013 deaths
960:1920 births
933:Times Daily
852:October 22,
657:, Detroit:
486:art history
388:Hauptschule
253:art history
170:art history
108:art history
78:Citizenship
954:Categories
885:2022-10-05
597:2013 Death
480:1950–1951
450:1945–1947
433:, New York
409:, New York
369:1920 Born
285:sculptures
202:Bratislava
196:Early life
51:1920-02-09
940:April 17,
912:April 14,
880:0362-4331
696:April 14,
515:Time Inc.
490:museology
438:U.S. Army
257:museology
230:U.S. Army
174:museology
166:U.S. Army
128:1961–1988
112:museology
86:Education
359:Timeline
625:May 20,
309:plinths
878:
661:, 2011
392:German
377:Prague
331:Venice
316:mobile
241:Munich
206:Prague
159:Venice
133:Spouse
602:Notes
460:1947
384:Czech
320:plumb
176:from
942:2012
914:2012
876:ISSN
854:2011
698:2012
627:2013
488:and
255:and
172:and
110:and
98:CCFS
81:U.S.
66:Died
41:Born
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