Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Finally, finally I got to see it inside of this marvellous building … and it didn’t disappoint. Designed by the Canadian-born Frank Gehry, it was inaugurated in 1997 with an exhibition of contemporary art and it is this kind of art that is still its focus. The building is daring, innovative, and breaks all the rules. There is nothing like it in the world. Its exterior was meant to appear random, but the randomness of the curves catch the light just so, and it looks like there was little left to chance. I honestly think it’s impossible not to get an amazing picture of Gehry’s creation.
The interior, too, is full of playful angles and interesting lines. The main hall forces you to look up, with its glass and steel elevators drawing the gaze upwards. You can see the sky but that’s not the only thing that peeks in: depending on the angle, you can also see the exterior cladding shimmering in the sun, or even the green of the surrounding hills. But the elevators command the area and urge you to ascend to the various levels, many connected via walkways. Up there is also where many of the exhibition halls are.
Being the experienced museum goer that I am, I knew to be quite methodical with my approach and started on the main level. There were two temporary and two permanent expositions here, though I could only get photos of three of them. The first temporary one was Bilbao and Painting, a collection of photographs and paintings that showcase the history of Bilbao. The other was a film and video show, Alex Reynolds. There is a Law, There is a Hand, There is a Song. This one I didn’t manage to get photos of, sorry.
The two permanent exhibits are very striking and take up a lot of space. Richard Serra’s The Matter of Time, consists of eight very large structures made of weathering steel. One gets to experience the piece by either walking through the parts or into them, and I made sure I did go through each one that was open. For safety reasons some were inaccessible, probably because there was a possibility of people coming into contact with others too easily. I was, as usual, one of maybe three people inside the massive hall so there really wasn’t a chance of that happening, but rules are rules. As it was, I spent a long time wondering through the pieces, getting a nice, intimate, close-up look. The funny thing is, I had no idea what it all meant–I usually don’t understand contemporary art like this–but I did love the spaces created between the spirals, ellipses, and snakes, and the interplay of surface, light, and sound, or rather lack thereof. It was all a rather singular experience, one heightened by the surrounding building.
It was now time to go up in one of the cool elevators, to the second floor where more of the temporary exhibits reside. Needing a little fresh air, I came across a little outside space that provided a great view of the exterior of the building, but it also held an interesting bonus piece: The Wish Tree for Bilbao by Yoko Ono. According to the museum website, “[t]he installation at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao alternates between periods when visitors can write down their wishes and when they can whisper them to the tree.” I must have been there at the whispering stage but since it wasn’t obvious to me that I was supposed to talk to the tree, I guess I missed my chance. Oh well, serves me right for not doing my homework before going.
There were a few different rooms on this floor, one of which was dedicated to the Roaring Twenties exhibit, parts of which reminded me of the interwar art exhibit at Valencia’s IVAM, back in November. This exhibit was quite large, including various media, with my favourite devoted to iconic furniture designed by some of the greatest Bauhaus designers: Mies van der Rohe, Hannes Meyer, and Walter Gropius. Unfortunately, I found myself in an area patrolled by some very strict guards and my photography was limited to hastily taken shots that don’t capture the quality of the items at all, I’m afraid. You’ll just have to blame the (no) photo-taking policy of the Guggenheim for lack of visual content!
The best part of being on this level, however, was my ability to get some architectural shots (those are allowed, clearly), including a view of The Matter of Time from above. This is also where I first got to see the other first-level permanent exhibit, Jenny Holzer’s Installation for Bilbao, an immersive text and light experience seeking to “evoke universal themes of intimacy, death, and loss.” At first I didn’t realize that the light show was actually a series of words travelling up columns of light, thinking it was all random. But after spending a bit of time paying attention, I was able to discern the messages scrolling up, one letter at a time. In my defense, I think the first time I saw it, the text was in Euskadi, and it did look like a bunch of random letters. Once the English version started, it all made a lot more sense.
After another ride in the other cool elevator, I reached the Essentials level; this is where the masterpieces are. And by masterpieces I mean those by Rothko, de Kooning, Warhol, and many more, especially many of the prominent Spanish artists I may have never heard of but am now learning to enjoy. Taking photos here, too was difficult, but I did try and manage to get a few. I have to admit what impressed me most was the size of some of the pieces … the Warhol one took up most of the wall, as did many of the others.
I also got to go outside on the main level, to get close and personal with The Tulips by Jeff Koons, a colourful bouquet of balloon flowers that sit on a terrace accessible only from within the museum. Koons is also the artist behind The Puppy I mentioned in a previous post. His specialty seem to be outdoor sculptures and he does them very well.
Throughout my whole visit, my awe of the building itself grew. Abstract art may not be for me (for the most part), but modern architecture is a totally different beast altogether: I love it and want to spend time in it. But I had already spent a lot it inside and my tummy rumbled enough to force me to leave. I did, however, enjoy the museum cafe. This seemed to be the place for a number of women to get together for coffee and pintxos with their friends, and as far as locations go, I have to say I totally understand why they chose to meet there. If I had friends in Bilbao I would totally make this my usual get-together spot too.
