The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Amanda Rorabaugh1st Period8/23/10

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is a modern art museum that is considered to be one of the most important and admired architectural creations of the 20th century. Art found in the museum mostly focuses on post-World War painting and American and European sculptures. The museum encompasses an international network of museums and

is also an educational and cultural center. There are other Guggenheim Museums found in New York, Venice, Berlin, and Abu

Dhabi.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

The architecture found in the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum is very complex. Although at first glance the design may seem random, it is specially constructed to reflect light from the sun to give it a unique

appearance. The many curves in the building are carefully arranged to catch sunlight properly. The museum is also made of special materials

such as limestone, glass, and titanium. Architect Philip Johnson refers to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao as “the greatest building of our time.” However, although the building looks incredible, it is not entirely practical.

The Construction of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum

The Spanish Guggenheim Museum is located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. Bilbao is the fourth largest Spanish city. The lot is positioned alongside of the Nervion River. Bilbao is located in

Northern Spain on the Bay of Biscay. The Guggenheim is considered the biggest landmark in Bilbao. The Guggenheim is very beneficial to the city. Because of its mass appeal, tourists are attracted to Bilbao, which is profitable for business in the

country.

During the late 1980s, Basque Country went through major renovations. By 1991, many important facilities, such as the airport and subway system, had undergone

new designs and improvements. In April and May of 1991, the Basque Government also decided to build a first-class cultural center in Bilbao. This would be the

new Guggenheim Museum. The museum was officially opened on October 19, 1997.

Frank Gehry, a Canadian architect, was chosen to design the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao through an architectural competition.

Gehry’s design was similar to Frank Lloyd Wright’s New York Guggenheim, but also gave the building its own, unique identity. In 1992

Juan Ignacio Vidarte, Director General of the Guggenheim Bilbao, was formally assigned the job of supervising the construction and

development of the Guggenheim. Construction started in 1993 and the project was completed in 1997.

Frank Gehry

When the Guggenheim first opened, a celebration was held in honor of its completion. Even Spain’s Queen

Sofia and King Juan Carlos I attended this occasion. The government had high hopes that the Guggenheim

would increase business in Bilbao. If the museum did not produce a profit, the money put into the expensive

museum would be lost. People were confident, however, that the museum would bring about a lot of

commerce to the city.

The hard work and money put into the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum paid off. As projected, people from across the world

traveled to Bilbao to visit the newly built museum. Hundreds of thousands of tourists flooded into the city within the

Guggenheim’s first years of establishment. The modern art interested many and the unique sculptures from foreign

countries left visitors astonished.

One of the Extraordinary Pieces of Art Found in the Guggenheim

Presently, the Guggenheim in Bilbao has almost ninety exhibits. Since the time it was built, over ten million people have visited

the museum. The city of Bilbao is still benefitting from the tourism attracted by it. To this day, people from everywhere in the world still admire the stunning architecture and incredible

diversity of art found in the Guggenheim museum.

Puppy, the Huge Floral Mascot of the Guggenheim in Bilbao

The goal of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, to attract tourists, was reached. Not all present-day citizens of the city, however,

appreciate the massive building. Although the architecture is beautiful, the museum is located almost in the center of Bilbao.

This interrupts the flow of life through the city. When it was built, there was not much concern of how life would function

around it. The main focus was on creating a building based more on looks than functionality.

Another issue with the Guggenheim was not realized until after it was built. Now that the enormous museum is the center of

attention in Bilbao, many other attractions found in the city are ignored. The riverfront view is obstructed and vast public spaces

feel smaller. The Guggenheim also does not possess enough security to monitor every bit of the vast space of the museum; safety is an issue for this reason. Many reports of thievery are reported, but there are very few times that anything is done in

response.

Works Cited

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"Guggenheim Bilbao." Enforex. Web. 23 Aug. 2010. <http://www.enforex.com/culture/guggenheim-bilbao.html>.

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Kent, Ethan. "Guggenheim Museum Bilbao - Hall of Shame | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)." Project for Public Spaces - Placemaking for Communities. Web. 23 Aug. 2010. <http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=827#>.