Guggenheim Bilbao – Three Hours Was Nowhere Near Enough

Where to start? Well, of course, with the building itself, because it is undoubtedly the star of the show.

Designed by Frank Gehry, it is quite simply one of the most extraordinary buildings I have ever seen. Organic yet industrial, it rises from the ground like an unfurling rose. Depending on the weather and the time of day, its titanium, glass and limestone panels seem to change colour and character. This was exactly how I first experienced it, catching sight of it as our taxi wound down the hill from the airport.

Outside, several large-scale permanent sculptures surround the museum. Most famous is Jeff Koons' Puppy, the enormous floral sculpture guarding the entrance. It certainly explained why I had been seeing puppy magnets and postcards in every gift shop before I had even visited the museum. Nearby stands Louise Bourgeois' giant spider, Maman. The last time I encountered one of these sculptures was at Tate Modern when it first opened, and seeing it again was just as impressive especially with the  elements  changing  its colour and the space between the gigantic spindally legs.

The museum is perhaps even more spectacular at dusk, when the building seems to glow gold. I would highly recommend an evening visit simply to wander around the exterior. By then the crowds and street sellers have mostly disappeared, leaving you to enjoy both sculptures and the architecture in relative peace.

Inside, the atmosphere changes completely, becoming an oasis of white curves, flowing spaces and soft sand-coloured flooring.

Another thing I loved was the pricing. Entry was €18 and included everything—no extra charges for special exhibitions. Considering the museum suggests allowing around three hours for your visit, it felt like excellent value. Even with two teenagers who aren't particularly interested in art, we managed the full three hours before hunger finally drove us out in search of lunch. I would call that a success!

There is so much to see.

We began on the first floor with a retrospective of Ruth Asawa, the Japanese-American artist who spent most of her life in California. She is best known for her intricate looped-wire sculptures in delicate organic forms, although the exhibition also included many of her prints and drawings.

One of her comments particularly resonated with me:

"The myth that crafts and printmaking are less important than painting and sculpture. A good piece is important regardless of category."

Her signature sculptures, with their "form within a form" structures, are mesmerising. Delicate and almost weightless, they seem to float and move gently alongside the viewer.

Next came something entirely different: the monumental sculptures of Richard Serra. In fact, these alone would have made the trip worthwhile.

The installation, The Matter of Time (1994–2005), consists of eight enormous weathered-steel sculptures that invite visitors to walk through them. The towering curved walls create a sense of disorientation as they lean, twist and narrow around you. Our A-Level Design Technology student was particularly impressed by the engineering and the lack of any obvious joins in the vast steel structures.

For the best perspective, head up to the third floor and look down over the installation. Only then do you fully appreciate the scale and complexity of the work. Few galleries could accommodate pieces of this size. After seeing them, I announced to my husband that we now need a trip to Venice to visit the Guggenheim there—just to see if it can possibly be more impressive.

Jenny Holzer's electronic LED installation provided another dramatic change of pace. Created specifically for the space, the work tells stories in English, Basque and Spanish through nine towering LED columns stretching across two floors. The Design Technology student was less interested in the messages than in how the installation was engineered, insisting it was "probably quite easy" to build! After a while, however, the constant movement and flashing lights did become a little overwhelming.

On the second floor we visited Jasper Johns' Night Driver - a retrospective, featuring 104 paintings and prints spanning much of his career. It offered a great overview of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, although more prints than paintings, which was a pity.

Another highlight was  contribution to the museum's "In Situ" series, where artists create works specifically for the gallery spaces. This remarkable textile installation was developed by  Igshaan Adams, in collaboration with a dance troupe from his hometown in South Africa. Kentridge devised a technique to capture the dancers' movements on canvas, which his studio then transformed into enormous tapestries, some over six metres wide. The resulting works beautifully preserve the energy and rhythm of the dancers. (I've written about this installation in more detail elsewhere on my blog.)

Equally impressive was Rising Sea by El Anatsui and his studio. Created over the course of a year using thousands of discarded liquor-bottle tops, flattened and stitched together with metal wire, the work references the historical trade routes through which Europeans transported alcohol to Africa in exchange for enslaved people. The resulting sculpture shimmers like fabric while carrying a powerful message about history, migration and climate change. It is Anatsui's largest work to date and a reminder of how quickly civilisations can be transformed by forces such as the sea and a changing climate.

There was also a brief stop in Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room – A Wish for Human Happiness Calling from Beyond. I do mean brief. You barely step inside before the door closes, you turn around once to take in the reflections & lights, and then the door opens again and it's time to leave. Even so, those few moments are special & I managed a quick snap to remind me of what lay behind the door. 

Finally, there was a wonderful collection of Pop Art from some of the masters of the movement, including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, providing a colourful and energetic conclusion to the visit.

Jan Michel Basquiat - The Man from Naples

The entire experience was very enjoyable  three hours disappeared quickly ( teens may disagree); I could easily have spent much longer exploring the galleries but my advice go just after breakfast so you don't crave lunch too soon. Everywhere you looked there was something new to discover and I have  hardly scratched the surface of ehat you can see.

The Guggenheim Bilbao is one of those rare places where the building itself is as memorable as the art it contains. If you are visiting Bilbao, don't just put it on your itinerary—make it your centrepiece.