On September 17, 2026, members of our NYC Friends of VCCA donor group gathered at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to celebrate the opening of Taryn Simon’s Father Country I Do Love You, a major new body of work that marks the first time a photography-based artist has been given the museum’s full rotunda.
The following morning, before the museum opened to the public, members of the group returned for a private tour led by curator Nat Trotman. The morning offered a remarkable experience — the chance to take in the exhibition in an intimate setting with a brief visit from Simon herself!
Walking the Guggenheim’s spiral with Trotman, members of NYC Friends of VCCA learned more about how the project came together and the curatorial decisions behind an installation that invites each visitor to find their own path through the work.
The exhibition represents the Guggenheim’s largest debut of new work to date. VCCA is deeply grateful to Taryn Simon, Nat Trotman, and our colleagues at the Guggenheim for sharing this special opportunity with the NYC Friends of VCCA community, and to everyone who joined us for the evening and private tour.
Simon’s decade-long process speaks to the importance of uninterrupted time for research, experimentation, and making. For those of us who care about VCCA, both gatherings offered vivid reminders of why our work matters. Ambitious art like this doesn’t happen quickly. It takes sustained attention. It needs time and space.
Father Country I Do Love You is on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum through March 14, 2027. We can’t recommend it highly enough.
Interested in joining the group or learning more about future events? Get in touch at [email protected].