The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum, designed by the architect and designer of American nationality Canadian Frank O. Gehry, is today perhaps the most important hallmark of Bilbao, and certainly the building that in recent years the city has shot to fame worldwide.

This unique building, which has won distinguished awards including the "Outstanding Structure Award" of IABSE has impressive modern architecture.

Its construction lasted four years, and the costs were very high, although it remained within the initial budget.

The building almost oval plant resembles a boat upriver wanting shipwrecked in the Puente de la Salve.

The architecture - glass, metal and limestone - is characterized by its spectacular organic shapes, contrasting with simple geometric designs, creating a very original set.

Frank Gehry, to choose the lining of the Guggenheim Museum, was inspired by the feathers and scales of many animals. He noted its fixings and the possibility of movement they give. From this metal flakes that were to cover organic and curved shapes of the building they were generated.

For these scales chose a very light metal, which was an alloy of zinc and titanium with a very high percentage of the second which resulted in that, unlike its previous projects in which he used a cheaper metal, the cost was very high .

Another feature of the building are the reflections of light and mirror games that produce interesting optical effects. These games are caused by glass cladding whose reflections multiply those artificial lake and it would generate.

In front of the building we see a sculpture of a spider by Louise Bourgeois sculpture and botanical big dog "Puppy" by the American artist Jeff Koons. The latter was originally planned that was temporarily exposed, but to the success among the locals, who opposed it disappeared, has been left there permanently.


The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is one of the seven museums that American "Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation" Foundation in various parts of the world.

In an area of ​​11,000 sqm houses both a permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, particularly works ranging from the second half of the twentieth century to today.

The permanent collection consists of works from the Foundation, and other subsequently acquired by the Museum. Part of it, creations of prominent figures such as David Salle, Chillida, Jeff Koons, Louis Bourgeois and Robert Rauschenberg, among others.

In addition, the museum organizes temporary exhibitions that change frequently and activities for those who wish to broaden their knowledge of art is.


A visit to the Guggenheim than to contact a wide sample of painting and sculpture, confronts us with performances, installations, videos and other manifestations of the genre.