The Guggenheim Museum – Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is a masterpiece of 20th century architecture and now one of the most famous museums in the world. The museum’s collection focuses primarily on 20th century American and European art, featuring styles such as Pop Art, Minimalism, Arte Povera, Conceptual Art and Abstract Expressionism. Basque and Spanish contemporary art is also represented by a selection of works by the best artists in the field, as well as specially created pieces by contemporary American and European artists.
The building itself is a work of art. Frank Gehry, the architect, created a huge sculpture-like building fashioned from a surprising array of materials resulting in the extraordinary, unmistakable silhouette. The building revolves around a central axis, the atrium, a monumentally empty space crowned by a metal dome. Daylight floods in through the glass walls and the skylight set high up in the dome. Leading off from this central space, a system of curved walkways, glass lifts and stairways connects the 19 galleries in a truly spectacular way.
