Bilbao

History:

Bilbao was founded as a village by Don Diego Lopez de Haro V, Lord of Biscay, on June 15th 1300 on the opposite river bank of an existing fishing settlement (now known as Bilbao la Vieja, "Old Bilbao").In the 15th century, wars between noble families disrupted the city, which had reached a population of almost 3,000.In 1511, the Consulate of Bilbao was granted to the city by the Spanish Crown, this allowed Bilbao to be the main export port for Merino wool from Castile to northern European cities. Bilbao became the most important commercial and financial hub of the Spanish north coast during the Spanish Empire era. The swords exported from Bilbao were known in England as "bilboes", and are mentioned by name by William Shakespeare. The 19th century's industrial revolution was crucial for Bilbao, with the development of strong mining, steel and shipbuilding industries. At the beginning of the 20th century Bilbao was the wealthiest city in Spain, where the main banks and insurance companies were established. Bilbao was besieged four times during the Carlist Wars, but due to the defenders, it was never conquered.

The city's heavy industries fuelled Spain's economy and thousands of immigrants from central and southern Spain moved to Bilbao, the city and surrounding towns expanded greatly and sometimes chaotically. In 1983 heavy floods struck the city, killing many people in the province and causing great damage to the old part of the city. Since then the "Casco Viejo" (the old district) has been renewed, along with the general trend of renewal seen all around the city. The city has recently undergone major urban renewal, in order to move away from the region’s industrial history and instead focus on tourism and services. The developments are centered on the new metro system, designed by Sir Norman Foster and, most of all, the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum by Frank Gehry.

Relevance to Pilgrimage: Art Pilgrimage

Guggenheim-Voted by many as the single most impressive work of contemporary architecture in Spain, The Guggenheim is poised along the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country to the Atlantic Coast. The Guggenheim is one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and it displays exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists. Several masterpieces exhibited here have been signed by artists such as Chillida, David Salle, Jeff Koons, Louis Bourgeois and Robert Rauschenberg. As one of the most talked-about Spanish museums, the Guggenheim stands out for the contemporary artwork it houses. The museum’s permanent collection is 20th century art—traditional paintings and sculptures. The highlight of the collection, and its only permanent exhibit, is The Matter of Time, a series of weathering steel sculptures designed by Richard Serra and housed in the 430-foot (130 m) Arcelor Gallery. Compared to other great works of architecture in the world, the building has been hailed as a “single moment in the architectural culture” because it represents “one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something.” The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts. It has over a hundred exhibitions and more than ten million visitors.

History of Guggenheim:

Well before the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened its doors to the public on October 19, 1997, the new museum had numerous artists, architects, journalists, politicians, filmmakers, and historians that visited the building site in the four years of its construction anticipating the success of the museum. The Guggenheim was built out of limestone, glass, and titanium. The city wanted to enhance tourism and as a plan to do so Thomas Krens, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, met repeatedly with officials, signing a preliminary agreement to bring a new Guggenheim Museum to Bilbao. An architectural competition led to the selection of California-based architect Gehry, known for his use of unorthodox materials and inventive forms, and his sensitivity to the urban environment. Gehry’s proposal for the site on the Nervion River ultimately included features that embrace both the identity of the Guggenheim Museum and its new home in the Basque Country. In 1992 Juan Ignacio Vidarte, now Director General of the Guggenheim Bilbao, was formally appointed to oversee the development of the project and to supervise the construction. Groundbreaking took place in 1993 and in 1997 it was completed.

The city of Bilbao is a very large city nestled within rolling hills and alongside the Ria de Bilbao. A very bustling and busy city with many people and a lot of red and white striped flags posted everywhere we went symbolizing their loyalty to the Bilbao soccer team. As with every urban environment, you can expect high prices, traffic, and small parking spaces. The city did have an artistic feel in reference to the many art museums located within the city, specifically the world renowned Guggenheim.

The Guggenheim was an oddly shaped structure without any right angles within the structure. Twisty, turning, and rounded edges make up the entire building. The building itself is art itself! Inside, there are three levels of exhibits. The top level was comprised of photograph exhibits, architecture art exhibits, and large canvas paintings. The second floor was comprised of the works of David Hockney. I noticed he focused primarily on vivid colors and landscapes in almost all of his works; there were several depictions of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and mountains in New York. There was even an exhibit that had many screens each depicting different scenes that were similar, making them appear like they were meshed together creating a larger portrait, when in actuality the images did not carry over. The bottom floor had a lot of paintings and portraits. It also housed one of the largest exhibits in the world which consisted of trippy architectural exhibit with rounded wood slates stood up. The Guggenheim was unlike any art museum I have ever been in (not like I’ve been in a lot though) and I could definitely see how someone could spend hours examining different pieces of art.