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A wonderful starting point is this portrait (1911) by legendary Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), from his early Cubist period. The figure is executed from a limited palette of ochre and dark browns .

This polished brass sculpture (1932–40) was once classified by US customs as a “stair-rail”, thus subject to duty. Its creator was Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957).

This portrayal (1940) of an orange-robed bride assisted by mutant animals and humans, is by Max Ernst (1891–1976). The German Surrealist was married to Guggenheim in the 1940s.

Magical light effects see darkened trees and a house silhouetted by a street lamp against a contrasting daytime sky with fluffy clouds, in this work (1953–4) by René Magritte (1898–1967). The Belgian Surrealist was renowned for his eccentric subjects.

This serene elongated form of a truncated female figure (1932), apparently inspired by Etruscan design, is the recognized trademark of the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901–66), a short-term participant in the Surrealist movement.

This vibrant canvas (1942) starring a skeletal stick figure with an odd, padded curve is an early work by Jackson Pollock (1912–56), pre-dating his famous “drip” technique.

A deliberately childlike, warmly textured piece (1926) by Paul Klee (1879–1940), with smeary shapes and sketched-in faces and buildings , fulfils the artist’s desire to be “as though newborn… to be almost primitive”.

This simple masterpiece of movement (1941) by Alexander Calder (1898–1976), which gave its name to all mobiles, hangs in the atrium of Guggenheim’s house and shifts delicately in the breeze.

Set on steps leading to the terrace, this bronze horse and rider (1948) by Italian sculptor Marino Marini (1901–80) greet passing boats in an outstretched stance.

Beautifully placed in the Nasher Sculpture Garden, these abstract sculptures (1953) by Henry Moore (1898–1986) were inspired by Italian bell towers.