Bilbao

Thursday, May 14

We returned to Bilbao today in order to visit the Guggenheim Museum there.  While Modern Art is not something we know (or care) much about, we very much wanted to explore Frank Gehry's distinctive titanium-clad building that's been credited with changing the very nature of Bilbao.

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The museum itself is spectacular, a fact tacitly acknowledged by the fact that the audioguide devotes a considerable amount of commentary to it; even empty, it would be an extraordinary work of art.  The only flat surfaces are the floors; everything else curves, twists, swirls, flows, spirals, splashes, and undulates.  The central atrium soars to skylights high above, is ringed by catwalks and balconies, and is open to the city, river, and green hills of the surrounding countryside.  Outside the building, terraces, a curving pool, several large installations, and extensive public spaces serve to blur the lines between the institution and its surrounding environment.  The audioguide featured Gehry's own explanations of some of the factors that entered into his design process, the materials he used (The titanium is just the thickness of tissue paper!), and the effects he was trying to create.

The largest gallery is devoted to Richard Serra's Matter of Time and Snake -- enormous sculptures of steel waves, coils, and spheres that are experienced, rather than viewed.  We walked around and through them, finding it difficult to keep our balance, orientation, and bearings; it was fantastic!  The gallery also included models, photos, and videos of the works' creation, as well as Serra's own extensive explanations of his efforts to redefine sculpture.

The museum's gallery space is located on three levels, though for most of this month the second level is closed for the dismantling and installation of exhibits.  (Unique in our experience, the admission price is reduced, depending on the amount of space open to view!)  The third floor is currently devoted to the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, feminist, sculptress, feminist, filmmaker, feminist, painter, feminist, painter, feminist, political commentator, feminist, writer, feminist, iconoclast, and -- feminist.  You can probably guess the common thread that informs her work across all media...  Especially memorable to us were examples of her "shooting" period, when she integrated cans of spray paint into her work, then took aim, and shot them with a rifle -- the expertise, the fine brushwork! A little Niki goes a long way, and there was a LOT of Niki on display here, but remember, as previously stated, Modern Art is not something we know much about -- yet!

Back on the ground floor, we resisted the impulse (or was it gravitational pull?!?) to re-enter Richard Serra's world of experiential sculpture, and left the museum to see a bit of the city beyond its wavy walls.  We walked along the Nervion River to Bilbao's Old Town and wandered around its pedestrian streets, quiet during the city's extended afternoon siesta.  We enjoyed a ride back to the museum on the modern riverside tram, and then headed back to our home base in Vitoria for the evening.

Tomorrow night, we'll be staying at an airport hotel in Madrid, so tomorrow will be our last day on the road.  We've still got places to go, and things to see, so we'll be making the most of the day as we make our way to Madrid.

On Saturday, we'll be in the air en route home, and right about now, that seems just about as welcome a destination as any we've visited during the last month!