Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Background:
Frank Gehry's groundbreaking triumph offers a fascinating look at
21st-century architecture. Using cutting-edge technologies, unusual materials, and daring
forms, he created a piece of sculpture that smoothly integrates with its environment and
serves as the perfect stage for some of today's best art. Clad in limestone and titanium, the
building connects the city with its river. Gehry meshed many visions. To him, the build-
ing'smultipleformsjostlelikealoosecrateofbottles.Thebuildingisinspiredbyasilvery
fish...andalsoevokeswind-filledsailsheadingouttosea.Gehrykeepsreturningtohisfish
motif,remindingvisitorsthat,asaboy,hewasinspiredbycarp...eventakingthemintothe
bathtub with him.
Self-Guided Tour:
The audioguide will lead you room-by-room through the col-
lection, but this information will get you started.
GuardingthemainentranceisartistJeffKoons'42-foot-tall
West Highland Terrier.
Its60,000plantsandflowers,whichblossominconcert,growthroughsteelmesh.Ajoyful
structure, it brings viewers back to their childhoods—perhaps evoking humankind's rela-
tionship to God—or maybe it's just another notorious Koons hoax. One thing is clear: It
answers to “Puppy.” Although the sculpture was originally intended to be temporary, the
people of Bilbao fell in love with
Puppy
—so they bought it.
Descend to the
main entrance.
After buying your ticket, be sure to pick up the free
exhibit audioguide. At the information desk, pick up the small English brochure explain-
ing the architecture and museum layout, and the seasonal
Guggenheim Bilbao
magazine
that details the art currently on display.
After presenting your ticket, enter the
atrium.
This acts as the heart of the building,
pumpingvisitorsfromvariousroomsonthreelevelsoutandback,alwaysreturningtothis
central area before moving on to the next. The architect invites you to caress the sensu-
al curves of the walls. There are virtually no straight lines (except the floor). Notice the
sheetsofglassthatmakeuptheelevatorshaft—overlappingeachotherlikeafish'sscales.
Each glass and limestone panel is unique, designed by a computer and shaped by a ro-
bot...as will likely be standard in constructing the great buildings of the future.
Fromtheatrium,stepoutontotheriverside
terrace.
The“watergarden”letstheriver
symbolically lap at the base of the building. This pool is home to four unusual sculptures
(the first two appear occasionally throughout the day): a five-part “fire fountain” (notice
the squares in the pool to the right); a “fog sculpture” that billows up from below; another
piece by Jeff Koons,
Tulips
, which is a colorful, chrome bouquet of inflated flowers; and
the most recent addition,
Tall Tree and the Eye
by British artist Anish Kapoor. Composed
of 73 reflective spheres arranged vertically, the sculpture endlessly reflects both the Gug-
genheim and the river.
