My last stop in Spain was Bilbao, where the highlight, and perhaps lowlight, of my visit was the Guggenheim Museum.
The spectacular architecture of this Frank Gehry building put Bilbao on the international map.
The architecture did not disappoint, in fact, it exceeded my expectations!
Here is the "Puppy," a flower-covered sculpture by Jeff Coons, which has greeted museum visitors since 1992.
I first imagined the red dots were in honor of the Tour de France's mountain-climber jersey (the Tour started in Bilbao on July 1), but no, they were part of an exhibition by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama:
The steam may have been part of the exhibition, it added mystery to the architecture:
Though the architecture of the museum was spectacular and a thrill to see, (see tomorrow's post, also), I can't say the same about the art displayed inside.
Last year I visited the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City, another spectacular structure with a metallic exterior. The collection, assembled by Carlos Slim's late wife Soumaya Domit, has a simply jaw-dropping collection of Mexican and European art, where I spent hours exploring, and could have spent many hours more.
The collection on display at the Guggenheim, however, was nearly devoid of representational art. There was a very nice exhibition of expressionist paintings by Viennese Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980), who was new to me, another room with a Rothko painting, and a room with Kusama's playful and colorful works, but most rooms were full of various abstract shapes and sculptures which left me wishing I was at the Soumaya Museum!
I did, however, marvel at the abstract shapes, lines, and curves of the building! More on that tomorrow...
