The Spectacular Guggenheim

Spending the day at the magnificent Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was an incredible way to spend a birthday.

Before arriving in Bilbao, we had been told that the exterior of the Museum was actually the highlight, with the interior exhibits not living up to their potential.  

So we weren't sure what to expect when we arrived to take a look.  

But we certainly did not leave feeling disappointed!

The exterior of the building is spectacular and has received universal praise for its design.  

Created by Frank Gehry in the late 1990s, the physical site was selected by Gehry to connect the Museum with the Nervion River and thus wed it to the city's surroundings.  This location was also part of Bilbao’s decrepit port area - the city’s once prime economic driver - thus acknowledging a key element of the city's history and also encouraging revitalization of this important area.

The curves on the building appear to be random but are designed to catch the light, which is accentuated by a large, open atrium with glass panels.  These panels showcase the river on one side and, on the other side, link the Museum to the street, thereby inviting the entire city to be a part of it.  The view of the Museum is most magnificent from the riverside.

The Museum houses a number of travelling exhibitions as well as some permanent ones, including Richard Serra’s Matter of Time Exhibit, which fills a 130-meter large gallery and includes a 100-meter-long Snake, made of weathered steel.

The most compelling exhibits, however, are the visiting exhibits.  

The first exhibit showcased Jeff Koons’s work, with its balloon-like metal sculptures that somehow feel like they are floating despite their weighty composition.

Koon’s work offers an accessibility that is often lacking with other artists.  The sculptures and artwork are designed to invite people of all walks of life to view them and relate them back to their own experiences.  In doing so, he encourages us to assert our own individuality and challenge the status quo.

We were surprised to find we recognized many of Koon's works including his Rabbit stainless steel statue that has been replicated for the Macy’s Parade, a Lady Gaga album cover and of course, the image of the Incredible Hulk which is based on an old picture of Elvis Presley.

The other main exhibit was of Jean-Michel Basquiat.  Incredibly, this exhibit was organized by none other than the Art Gallery of Ontario!  

Born and raised in Brooklyn in the 1980s, Basquiat’s contemporary art was considered ground-breaking.  His works feel emotional and raw and “in the moment”.  His paintings addressed a number of topical issues through symbols, images or text which would sometimes be related and other times be completely unrelated.  

In a collaboration with Andy Warhol, the two would create paintings together. Warhol would start by drawing some kind of image and then Basquiat would add his vision to it, creating new images or painting over the existing ones.  They were often disjointed but the message connected.

Although Basquiat died in his 20s, he made a great impact in his life.  And although we each had a different impression about whether or not we liked his works, he was effective at sparking discussion, presumably his main intention.