Guggenheim, the museum of contemporary culture par excellence

Bilbao
Guggenheim, the museu ...
Modern art lovers, or just curious, the Guggenheim Museum, located in downtown Bilbao, attracts more than a million visitors from all over the world each year. This place is a must see. Even if you are not keen on contemporary art, this museum will seduce you, both by its exterior appearance and by the works exhibited within it.

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Open-air works (and free!)

Without even paying your entrance ticket, you can enjoy several works that make the beauty and the fame of this incredible museum.


Guggenheim Museum

View of the open-air museum, from the opposite bank


  • The building: We owe its design to Frank Gehry, a big name in unconventional architecture. The subtle mix of materials, shapes and lines makes it a work in its own right. Covered with titanium plates positioned in scales, the building is luminous and seems light as air.

Guggenheim Museum  Guggenheim Museum
Guggenheim Museum
Guggenheim Museum  Guggenheim Museum

    Different points of view on the structure of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, from the outside


    • Puppy: That's the cute nickname given to Jeff Koons' artwork. All dressed in flowers, this pretty doggie is guarding the entrance to the museum! Fear not, it is a distributor of happiness with a flowery and colorful coat! Twice a year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes, it moults, changes colors and varieties of flowers.

    Guggenheim Museum

      Don't forget to say hello to Puppy on your stroll through Bilbao!


      • Big tree and the eye (Kapoor, 2009): This structure, made up of 73 spheres, plays on illusion and relies on the reflection of light and its environment to attract the eye and offer an always different creation.

      Guggenheim Museum

        Kapoor's work


        Other works are part of the Guggenheim Bilbao collection, but are nevertheless visible from the outside and gracefully. Let us cite, for example, Arcosrojos (the red bridge) by Daniel Buren, Maman (the spider) by Louise Bourgeois, or the foggy sculpture by FujikoNakaya.


        Guggenheim Museum

        Enjoy this museum open to the outside world

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        Permanent and other temporary collections

        Like the vast majority of museums, this one offers permanent works, but also temporary collections.

        Among the permanent contemporary works not to be missed, you will be able to discover The Matter of Time , by Richard Serra, Installation for Bilbao by Jenny Holzer, but also Object of Reflection by Alyson Shotz.


        Guggenheim Museum
        Guggenheim Museum  Guggenheim Museum

        Some essential works


        As for the paintings, don't miss One hundred and fifty multicolored Marilyns by the well-known Andy Warhol, or even the series of portraits by Alex Katz entitled Smiles.


        Guggenheim Museum
        Guggenheim Museum

        Photos of the performances of Andy Warhol and Alex Katz


        If you like abstract art, then head to the rooms where paintings by Prudencio Irazabal, Mark Rothko or La grande Anthropométrie bleue by Yves Klein are exhibited.


        Guggenheim Museum  Guggenheim Museum
        Guggenheim Museum

        Some examples of abstract works


        Regarding temporary exhibitions, they are varied and will take you through eras and countries around the world. To find out the current theme, consult the program on the Museum's website.


        Guggenheim Museum
        Guggenheim Museum

        Exhibition on the 1920s: the French are not left out (André Breton and Fernand Léger)

        Useful information

        You can buy your tickets directly at the entrance to the museum or you can plan your visit and thus benefit from the preferential rate offered for any e-ticket purchase, directly via the website. The museum is closed on Mondays and does not have customer parking.

        An audio guide in French will be available from your smartphone and can be a valuable and appreciable help to better understand the artists, their intentions and the guidelines they followed. Explanations for children are available in the audio guide.  

        Take the time to go to all the rooms so as not to forget anything, and above all, favor the moments of thinning to discover the exterior works!


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        This concludes the visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Hope you liked and touched you. If you have enough time, take a stroll around Bilbao and, depending on the time of day, have a snack on a terrace to end this cultural day, full of discoveries!


        Did you like our article? Find others on the Guide du Pays Basque blog. We are also on social networks, come and consult the Facebook page of the Guide du Pays Basque, as well as our Instagram account @guidedupaysbasque

         

        Article and photos prepared by Charline Prod'homme, La Plume Digitale


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