Bilbao, Spain - Guggenheim Museum

Dear Family and Friends,

We drove from Pamplona to Bilbao.  It took us a couple of hours on the fast toll road.  It was not especially a spectacular drive.....the toll roads are like driving the interstate highways in the U.S.  All the small villages are viewed from a distance.

I had never heard of Bilbao until now.  It is near the Atlantic coast.  This is a beautiful city...the architecture is fun and creative.  The population is just under 400,000 very similar to Cuenca.  And, like Cuenca, the city is very walkable.  They have a metro system and a light rail.  AND they have a Guggenheim Museum.

Today we walked across town to the museum.

 

The building is fabulous.  It is made of titanium and it has curves, which catch and reflect the light beautifully.

The art inside is Avante-garde, 20th century abstraction and non-objective art. I told Chuck before we went that I probably would not want to spend too much time there.  Boy, was I wrong.  It was so much fun.  Many of the exhibits were interactive.

The most famous exhibit is called "The Matter of Time."  It is made of weathering steel sculptures by artist, Richard Serra.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph inside the museum.  Even if I could, I would not be able to capture the massive pieces.

I did photograph the art outside the museum....

This first piece is, of course, permanent.  It is called "Puppy."  It looks like a giant Chia Pet. You can see him waiting for you as you approach the museum.

Instead of chia, he is covered in flowers.  You can see how large he is compared to the couple posing by his feet.

He was created by artist, Jeff Koons.

Another piece by Jeff, is this enormous display on the terrace behind the museum.  It is called "Tulips."  You can get an idea of the size, Chuck is standing to the right of the picture.

This year the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao celebrates it's 15th year.

Tomorrow, we will explore the old town of Bilbao.

Love,
Nancy