Bilbao is best known for the Guggenheim museum but there is so much more. Previously a very industrial city with polluted skies and river, it reinvented itself when the steel industry collapsed. I saw one pocket of abandoned buildings off the freeway as I was leaving, which gave an indication of what it had been like. The Guggenheim provided a means for this revitalisation. It is on the river - a striking building which is amazing from every direction and at all times of the day as the light shines off the titanium. The bridge across the river was incorporated into it and the whole area around flows beautifully, especially the way the pool of water seems to merge into the river.
The huge dog 'statue' out the front is a living statue, planted with flowers; violas at the moment but he was looking a bit bald in parts. The replanting must be an extraordinary task, and I wonder how it is kept watered.
Inside the building I stood in the atrium for about 5-10 minutes, admiring the combination of glass, steel and marble. None of the surfaces are straight; the engineering of the structure is extraordinary. The audio guide gave a detailed description of the construction challenges and commentary from the architect himself. Photography seemed to be allowed in the atrium (not in the galleries themselves) so I tried to capture some of it. The galleries contained some fascinating exhibitions. Unfortunately the main permanent gallery was closed, but there was plenty to see. One contained giant metal installations by Richard Serra, http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/works/the-matter-of-time/ designed to fascinate a mathematician. On ellipse inside another, but both sheared at different angles so the tunnel between then constantly changed as the walls leaned in and out. Spirals doing similar things. It was like playing in a set of mazes.
The first floor was filled with a new exhibition by Claes Oldenberg http://oldenburg.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/exhibitions/the-sixties/ whose work included giant soft shapes of everyday objects like bathtubs and light switches. Fascinating! My favourite was a model of the lipstick on a tank which was created for Yale university as an antiwar statement during the Vietnam war. Here is a bit about it: http://www.yale.edu/publicart/lipstick.html and http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/00_02/oldyale.html The original lipstick was inflatable, playing on phallic symbols as well as the feminine twisting open of the lipstick.
I also visited the Fine Arts museum which had a large amount of religious art, and some interesting and beautiful paintings from Spanish artists, particularly Basque locals. They also had a visiting exhibition on Fernando Botero, a Columbian artist, and it was all free because the gallery is free on Wednesdays.
I enjoyed Botero's work. He has a very distinctive style, mostly figures and all oversized, but not in a grotesque way. The most fascinating for me were his Boterisations of other artists' works. Here's an example http://ececakir.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/botero-pera-museum/
The city has many sculptures in public places also, along with parks, fountains, and a lovely walking track along the river. A tram track circles the central city, and the space between the tracks is grass. Newer buildings seem to have caught the Guggenheim spirit, with lots of interesting designs and use of colour. The bridges across the river are also striking - one is by the same architect who did a wonderful bridge in Seville. I'll put up photos of the two of them.
Bilbao still has its old quarter where I was staying. The plaza, Cathedral and narrow streets retain their character. On my second night I was heading back to the Hostal when I heard music. I wondered up a lane and found a small bar when an old guy was playing a guitar and singing. There were families in there, so I wandered in, bought a €1 glass of wine and sat down to enjoy the music. When he finished, the man came over to talk to 2 girls who were sitting next to me. After he left we started chatting. They explained that they were Argentinian and he had been singing traditional Argentinian songs. They are in Europe teaching Spanish in a small French village. There were on a break and travelling in Spain. It was a perfect way to spend my last night in Spain.
The huge dog 'statue' out the front is a living statue, planted with flowers; violas at the moment but he was looking a bit bald in parts. The replanting must be an extraordinary task, and I wonder how it is kept watered.
Inside the building I stood in the atrium for about 5-10 minutes, admiring the combination of glass, steel and marble. None of the surfaces are straight; the engineering of the structure is extraordinary. The audio guide gave a detailed description of the construction challenges and commentary from the architect himself. Photography seemed to be allowed in the atrium (not in the galleries themselves) so I tried to capture some of it. The galleries contained some fascinating exhibitions. Unfortunately the main permanent gallery was closed, but there was plenty to see. One contained giant metal installations by Richard Serra, http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/works/the-matter-of-time/ designed to fascinate a mathematician. On ellipse inside another, but both sheared at different angles so the tunnel between then constantly changed as the walls leaned in and out. Spirals doing similar things. It was like playing in a set of mazes.
The first floor was filled with a new exhibition by Claes Oldenberg http://oldenburg.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/exhibitions/the-sixties/ whose work included giant soft shapes of everyday objects like bathtubs and light switches. Fascinating! My favourite was a model of the lipstick on a tank which was created for Yale university as an antiwar statement during the Vietnam war. Here is a bit about it: http://www.yale.edu/publicart/lipstick.html and http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/00_02/oldyale.html The original lipstick was inflatable, playing on phallic symbols as well as the feminine twisting open of the lipstick.
I also visited the Fine Arts museum which had a large amount of religious art, and some interesting and beautiful paintings from Spanish artists, particularly Basque locals. They also had a visiting exhibition on Fernando Botero, a Columbian artist, and it was all free because the gallery is free on Wednesdays.
I enjoyed Botero's work. He has a very distinctive style, mostly figures and all oversized, but not in a grotesque way. The most fascinating for me were his Boterisations of other artists' works. Here's an example http://ececakir.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/botero-pera-museum/
The city has many sculptures in public places also, along with parks, fountains, and a lovely walking track along the river. A tram track circles the central city, and the space between the tracks is grass. Newer buildings seem to have caught the Guggenheim spirit, with lots of interesting designs and use of colour. The bridges across the river are also striking - one is by the same architect who did a wonderful bridge in Seville. I'll put up photos of the two of them.
Bilbao still has its old quarter where I was staying. The plaza, Cathedral and narrow streets retain their character. On my second night I was heading back to the Hostal when I heard music. I wondered up a lane and found a small bar when an old guy was playing a guitar and singing. There were families in there, so I wandered in, bought a €1 glass of wine and sat down to enjoy the music. When he finished, the man came over to talk to 2 girls who were sitting next to me. After he left we started chatting. They explained that they were Argentinian and he had been singing traditional Argentinian songs. They are in Europe teaching Spanish in a small French village. There were on a break and travelling in Spain. It was a perfect way to spend my last night in Spain.
No comments:
Post a Comment