Upper East Siders -- and art aficionados -- will soon have a new boîte to call their watering hole. This Friday, the Guggenheim will open the restaurant The Wright, named after Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect of the museum building, and coinciding with the 50th anniversary of his design.

The sleek, predominantly white space features a cozy 58 seats, a communal table and a casual bar nestled in the 88th Street corner of the museum, perfect for a post-Kandinsky viewing or Christmas shopping break.

And unlike many an East 80s eatery, The Wright boasts a decidedly modern décor by Andre Kikoski Architect. An undulating walnut and fiber optic wall offsets blue leather banquettes, a white Corian bar and a "ceiling canopy of taut white membrane," according to the museum.

This being a museum restaurant, there is naturally an art component, courtesy of Brit Liam Gillick, who created an installation entitled "The horizon produced by a factory once it had stopped producing views."

Translation: a flexible sculpture comprised of powder-coated aluminum planks that line the walls and ceiling and a transparent screen at The Wright's entrance.

Diners can contemplate Gillick's work over cocktails and a modern American menu by chef Rodolfo Contreras. A Bouley veteran, Contreras admitted that cooking for a museum space presented a new challenge.

"It's definitely a different experience," he said at a preview for The Wright Wednesday evening.

His solution? A bar menu of small plates and panini and a seated one featuring dishes like The Wright Salad with green market vegetables and an egg truffle; slow roasted suckling pig, and Maine lobster with chanterelle mushrooms, marcona almonds and clementine sauce.

The Wright will serve lunch Friday through Wednesday and beginning mid-January will add a dinner slot Thursday-Saturday.