Page 108 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
106 EUROPE

The jewel in Bilbao's revitalization program, the Museo
SAY OF BISCAY
Guggenheim unites art and architecture. The building itself
FRANCE.
GUGGENHEIM()! is a star attraction: a mind-boggling array of silvery curves by
MUSEUM,
BILBAO
the architect Frank 0. Gehry, which are alleged to resemble
Barcelona.
a ship or flower. The G uggen hei m's collection represents an
intriguingly broad spectrum of modern and contemporary
SPAIN
art, and includes works by Abstract Impressionists such as
M£DIT£RRANEAN
eSeville S£A Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko. Most of the art
A TlA~'TIC shown here is displayed as part of an ongoing series of
OC£AII/ ALGE.RIA
temporary exhibitions and major retrospectives. Some
of these are also staged at the Guggenheim museums in
FRANK 0. GEHRY Architect Frank 0. Gehry
Canadian-born architect Frank 0. Gehry New York, Venice, and Berlin.
studied architecture at the University of
Southern California and then urban planning at
Harvard before setting up his o\11/n firm in 1962. Tower ~ Roofscape
His early work is notable for its use of unusual Positioned on the far The Guggenheim's
side of the bridge, prowlike points and
materials, including chain-link and corrugated
this was designed to metallic material make it
metal Later works have possessed an almost resemble a sail. It is comparable to a ship.
sculptural quality, made possible by computer not an exhibition space.
design, creating distinctive, unique modern
I andm arks. During his career, Gehry has been
awarded large-scale public and private
commissions in the US, Japan, and Europe.

THE BUILDING
The Guggenheim is a breathtaking combination
of curling fragmented shapes, limestone blocks,
and glass walls and panels that beam light into
the building. The central space (Atrium), one
of the pioneering design features, is crol!llned
by a metal dome and skylight Framing this vast
area is a futuristic vision of suspended curved
walkways, glass lifts, and soaring staircases that
lead to the 19 galleries. Ten of the galleries
have a conventional rectangular form, and can
be recognized from the outside by their stone
finish. The other rooms are erratically shaped,
and identified by their exterior titanium
paneling (titanium fag~de). Volumes and
perspectives have been manipulated through·
out to blend the overall sculpted design with
the surrounding landscape, referencing Bilbao's Puente de Ia Salve
industrial past. This bridge was incorporated
into the design of the building,
which extends underneath it
THE COLLECTION
The collection is arranged over three levels
around the Atrium, with Mark Rothko's SYMBOLISM
Unut/ed ( 1952) marking the chronological start
Built to rescue the city from economic
It comprises works by significant artists of the decline, the museum uses materials and
late 20th century, ranging from the earliest shapes to convey Bilbao's industrial past Snake
This mammoth sculpture
avant -garde movements to present -day genres. of steel and shipbuilding while simultaneously by Richard Serra was created
The artists include Eduardo Chill ida, Yves Klein, symbolizing its commitment to its future. from hot-rolled steel. It is
more than 100ft (30 m) long.
Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell,
~ Arcelor
Clyfford Still, Antoni lapies, and Andy Warhol. Mittal Gallery
There are also artworks by emerging Basque KEY DATES
and Spanish artists. The museum's o\11/n
1991 1993 1994 1997
perm anent collection is supplemented by
important pieces from the Solomon R Plans to build the Frank 0. Gehry Work begins on The Guggenheim
museum are presents his museum the museum Museum is opened to
Guggenheim Museum in New York and the approved. design modeL building. the public.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.