The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, or the Guggenheim as it is commonly known, is an art museum in New York. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of America's most influential architects. It took Wright 15 years and 700 sketches to create the Museum which was opened in 1959. The building has become a cultural icon and was voted the 74th most popular architectural work in America in a 2007 American Institute of Architects poll. Each sculpture is handmade in Sussex, England. They are made of strong plaster that has a reassuring weight and smooth, cool feel.