Guggenheim Bilbao

Entering or exiting the city, the first and last site one sees is the Guggenheim Bilbao on the Riverbank of the Rio Nervion. After having seen reproductions of the museum’s image so many times on websites and tour guides, it was surreal to finally see it in person.

The walk along the Paseo Uribitarte, a popular route in Bilbao, brought us to the Zubizuri Footbridge. The “white bridge” is a fantastic sight, and behind it sits the futuristic Guggenheim museum. Flashing lights and sounds reminiscent of a rollercoaster ride emanate from the museum as you make your way towards it. Frank G.’s museum is an awesome vision to behold; often likened to “writhing fish”, the markedly modern museum is somewhat of a contrast to the family-oriented, traditional Spanish city that is its home. Louise B.’s “Maman” spider statue is a mysteriously alluring and threatening at the same time.

Ironically, we moved from NYC to London and visited the Guggenheim in Bilbao where we saw “Art in the USA: 300 Years of Innovation”. Along with exhibiting the works of American greats such as Jasper J. and Keith H., I felt lucky to see the works of Matthew B-rney and Kara W-lker, two contemporary American artists I recently read about in the “New Yorker”. MB’s video depicting dozens of women dressed like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory workers dancing on a football field made me feel uneasy. I guess part of the value in MB’s work is its ability to inspire discomfort in the viewer and out of his or her element, but I’m not a buyer of the artist’s work (literally or figuratively!).

Kara W-lker’s work takes traditional images of African-American slaves and plantation owners and constructs psycho-sexual and violent narratives around them. Her work contains an element of humor in the way slaves are often depicted as sabotaging their masters in addition to driving home the fact that slaves were not only abused as a free source of labor but also as objects with which owners inflicted psychological and sexual torture.

Richard S.’s “The Matter of Time” includes “Snake” in which we did a quick experiment. The first visitors inside the museum, M and I stood on opposite sides of the sculpture and conversed; we could hear one another as clearly as if we were standing side-by-side.

Of all the museums I’ve visited prior to and since moving to London, the Guggenheim Bilbao is my favorite; it is an architectural wonder where the focus is on the building itself rather than the art on display. The museum is a funhouse for adults, an absolute heaven to visit if you’re interested in design.

Across the street from the Guggenheim Bilbao, we dined on the tasting menu at celebrity chef Ramon B.’s Beltz the Black (“Beltz” is Euskara for “black”). A very modern restaurant, much like the museum nearby, the décor was markedly sparse and the cuisine unlike the typical Spanish fare we are used to (paella and tapas). Our meals included a sweet soda martini followed by pineapple in a liquefied foie gras and anchovies on the side, tandoori-spiced pate seasoned in chutney, a simple salad made special with shrimp tempura, the Spanish staple hake or merluza, salted rice with beef, a tender slice of steak and, finally, ice cream. We traveled to the Basque region knowing the food would be divine, and our introduction to the region’s food did not disappoint.