MODERN ARCHITECTURE: BILBAO
"Architecture
should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness." -
Frank Gehry (architect of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao)
Sydney has the Opera House. Paris the Eiffel Tower. New York
the Statue of Liberty. Iconic structures that instantly identify the major city
in question. And since 1997, Bilbao—a lovely city but one that heretofore had
never been considered major in the same class as Sydney, Paris, or New York—has
had the Guggenheim Museum.
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| Guggenheim, from under the spider sculpture |
A triumph of design by Canadian architect Frank Gehry, the
Museo Guggenheim Bilbao dominates the city. A contest was held among architects
for a design that could weave between existing structures and a sloped hillside
to create a museum for masterpieces that could become a masterpiece itself. Gehry
won that contest, and the result was a structure that put both Bilbao and Gehry
on the international map.
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| Another Guggenheim view, with the bridge that had to be woven into the design |
But why Bilbao? The Guggenheim in New York wanted a European
outpost, and sought bids from all the obvious places. But those cities did not
want to participate. Bilbao, on the other hand, not only offered a spot, but
offered to finance the construction, so the Guggenheim accepted. This turned
out to be a great investment for Bilbao, as the museum became the centerpiece of
a city-wide revival, returning light and liveliness to what had once been a
dingy industrial city filled with old homes in the classic Basque style.
Blending old and new, the city now is a jewel of northern Spain.
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| Flower-covered Puppy, a local favorite outside the upper level of the Guggenheim |
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| Spider sculpture, another local favorite, outside the lower level of the Guggenheim |
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| Bilbao from above |
Or is it Spain? Bilbao certainly is a legal part of Spain.
But it also is in the heart of Basque country, a region that stretches through
northern Spain and part of France. There is a strong movement among the Basque
to form their own separate country—a movement sometimes revealed in violence
but mostly in quieter protest and expressed most recently by a 125-mile human
chain. At the moment, Spain has agreed
to greater autonomy for the region, but the separatist movement continues.
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| Separatist sentiment |
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| One of 40 bars at the fiesta |
Giant dolls could be seen around the area, most notably “Party Mary,”
who presided over the whole affair. In the evening, Mary was going to be placed
on a raft, sent onto the river, and set afire while the populace gathered on
the riverbank to sing songs and say goodbye to her for another year.
Unfortunately, we sailed before sunset, so missed this occasion. But it
certainly is something to look for if one is planning a trip to Bilbao in late
August in coming years.
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| Party Mary |
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