Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Bilbao, Spain

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The museum was inaugurated in 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, with an exhibition of 250 contemporary works of art. Built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Cantabrian Sea, it is one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists. It is one of the largest museums in Spain.

One of the most admired works of contemporary architecture, the building has been hailed as a 'signal moment in the architectural culture', because it represents 'one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something', according to architectural critic Paul Goldberger. The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1997
Category: Museums in Spain

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Wine & Roads (INSTAGRAM) (11 months ago)
My visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was a unique and inspiring experience. From the moment I saw the majestic curvilinear architecture of the building, I knew I was about to immerse myself in an exceptional world of art. As I stepped inside, I marveled at the diversity and ingenuity of the exhibits.
Van Zee (12 months ago)
It is a museum with extravagant exterior. I really did not find the interior so exceptional. Picasso's sculptures made me think about beauty around us, but I felt strange after seeing them. He is definitely not my type of genius. I really preferred the tulips on the first floor ?.
Keat Chiew (12 months ago)
I supposed everything that needs to be said about this iconic building is said. I must admit after reading and seeing pictures of the Guggenheim remotely, I set the bar too high. That said, it is still an overwhelming sight. I am just glad I am able to see it in person. If you come to Bilbao, a big part of that decision is because you want to see this. And the exhibits if they are to your taste.
Amanda Nebs (13 months ago)
The place is massive and beautiful with lots of sculptures and arts. Inside the museum is a bar and bistro, where you can get a bite and have a rest. Near the spider sculpture, a lady that takes beautiful pictures of you in an old fashioned newspaper cover p kinda print out, set up a stand there, anyone going there should definitely get their pictures taken by her.
Marjolein Velthuizen (14 months ago)
The building was already amazing on the outside, but love to walk through it too. The exhibitions were quite diverse, so I like some of it. However, other things did not fully suit my taste. Currently the second floor is not open, so a 1 hour visit was all we needed. Luckily the tickets were relatively cheap. Definitely worth a visit!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Abbey of Saint-Georges

Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey. It was founded in about 1113 by Guillaume de Tancarville on the site of an earlier establishment of secular canons and settled by monks from the Abbey of Saint-Evroul. The abbey church made of Caumont stone was erected from 1113 to 1140. The Norman builders aimed to have very well-lit naves and they did this by means of tall, large windows, initially made possible by a wooden ceiling, which prevented uplift, although this was replaced by a Gothic vault in the 13th century. The chapter room was built after the abbey church and dates from the last quarter of the 12th century.

The arrival of the Maurist monks in 1659, after the disasters of the Wars of Religion, helped to get the abbey back on a firmer spiritual, architectural and economic footing. They erected a large monastic building one wing of which fitted tightly around the chapter house (which was otherwise left as it was).