Guggenheim, the museum of contemporary culture par excellence

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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.

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

 

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.

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!

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

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