Puppy, the bright, optimistic, kitsch sculptural installation by Jeff Koons of a flower-strewn West Highland white terrier, leads you towards the museum, impressive to look at on the outside and equally impressive on the inside. It was brilliantly curated with a broad variety of drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation work, conceptual digital artwork and photography woven into different parts of the museum. From Richard Serra’s raw iron sculptural installation that draws you in and keeps you moving and exploring, to laser lights in a dark room (Split Second by Anthony McCall) - to the otherworldly paintings and sculptures of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara and the sail-like tapestry of El Anatsui there was a huge variety of art, styles, subject matter and approach to making art. The kids loved many of the installations, and were familiar with running around massive awe-inspiring Serra sculptures from our time in Qatar. The Guggenheim was subtle in its use of space, allowing us to weave through the building from one exhibition to another, sometimes open plan and making use of the structural space of the building itself, and at other times offering enclosed spaces with the atmosphere sculpted by the artist.
