On the banks of the Nervion River stands a majestic building designed by Frank Gehry. This spectacular modern and contemporary art museum houses a beautiful collection of artistic works by creators from all over the world. Welcome to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
In the industrial city of Bilbao, the economy has mainly revolved around heavy industry and mining as well as shipyards. Due to the industrial downturn, the region experienced a veritable economic slump. The Basque government then took the initiative to make significant investments as a recovery plan. Among the projects selected is the creation of the Guggenheim Museum, which cost a whopping $100 million. The construction was entrusted to the architect Frank Gehry and was completed in 1997.
The building reflects innovation both outside and inside. It is therefore not only the exhibitions and collections that are well worth the detour since each part of the museum can be admired according to the visits. The latter also looks like an extraordinary sculpture rather than a museum. Its architecture is based on a deconstructive approach highlighting undulating and organic forms. Visitors are dazzled by its metal walls resembling a gigantic carapace. This is made up of 33,000 folded and curled leaves whose mission is to attract light. Covering 24,000 square meters, the building can also be admired from the inside. In the atrium, you are immediately surprised by the different materials used (stone, glass, metal, white concrete, etc.) which have been judiciously arranged and harmonized. This space is the nerve center of the museum. Around the Atrium have been set up 20 gallery rooms connected by stairs and walkways.
Faced with such architectural prowess, we tend to forget that the museum also houses a fabulous collection of works of art. The wealthy American industrialist Solomon R. Guggenheim was an avid art lover and collector. The permanent collection highlights the works of well-known artists from all over the world, to mention only Andy Warhol, Anselm Kieffer, Robert Motherwell, Georg Baselitz... Spanish artists are not left out of course. Among those presented are Antoni Tapiès, Miquel Barcelo, Javier Perez, Cristina Iglesias and Manuel Ballester. The museum also offers temporary exhibitions which change regularly at the frequency of 4 to 6 exhibitions each year. They relate to various themes:art history, contemporary art of the 20th century and the 21st century...
It should be noted that to highlight this beautiful architecture, works are also presented outside the walls. They are unveiled in the public space and outside the building. The best known is certainly Puppy, a gigantic dog made entirely of flowers and designed by Jeff Koons. Otherwise, one can also admire the work of Anish Kapoor made in 2009 and entitled "Big tree and the eye". It is a contemporary sculpture resulting from a montage of reflective spheres. It is also possible to discover the Fire Fountain by Yves KLEIN, the Fog Sculpture by Fujiko NAKAYA or even Maman by Louise Bourgeois.
