All the guidebooks note that the Frank Gehry architecture of the Guggenheim in Bilbao is more impressive than the art in the museum. We saw it yesterday and it is very impressive. There are several large pieces outside which are impressive, including a “fog sculpture” which is just fog vents that make patterned fog in the pool by the museum. There is also a “flame” sculpture of which we just saw five vents (presumably natural gas jets) in the water but we didn’t see it going. And the popular puppy made of flowers.
This made me think what a great investment the Guggenheim was for Bilbao. I don’t know how much it cost but probably less than a single painting by a master in the current art market. We saw five big tour buses parked there on a Wednesday morning in the off-season. The museum must draw huge numbers of people to Bilbao. So, my takeaway is spend money on the architecture not the art.
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