Jorge Oteiza was a visual artist, who worked from the 1950s until the 2000s in a search for…read moretranscendent secular sacred spaces through abstraction and for-void advocation. His work is well known in Spain (mostly among architects) . He was a convinced Basque nationalist, who used embarrassing pseudo theories to claim the exceptionality and purity of the Basque culture and language, in terms that can be understood as an jntelkectualized and transcendent version of current far right xenofobia. Quite disdainful.. Architecturally, the museum is a renovation and extension of the artist (and his wife Itziar's own studio-house, designed by the brutalist (and later post-modern) Franco-time architect Javier Saenz de Oiza, who collaborated with Oteiza in several projects mostly under the patronage of the Franco-beneficiary Opus Dei affiliated Huarte family. The architecture is definitively not good for the following reasons: 1. It emptied and sanitized the old studio-house, in what is a historical culture destruction now un reparable. That interior contained the laboratorio de tizas, in coexistence with a peasant-like form of domesticity. That was all destroy to create a vulgar space for projections. Unforgivable. 2. It destroys Oteiza and Itziar's garden. Where sculptures lived alongside trees and plants. All that was lost so that the space of the garden would become a paved shaft between the old buildings and the extension. 3. The museum interior is a real mess, a chaotic succession of pretentious tiny rooms, where the work compete with fire extinction devises, huge unnecessary ramp systems and stairs, constant changes of materials, and an overall dramatic light more likely of a tacky jewelry store that a museum. Awful. 4. Urbanization is the epitome of lack of sensitivity: an awful deployment of a black painted proliferation of walls and platforms, where a sweet landscape layer in the past. Such an accumulation of ugliness. THE WORK Despite the far right Basque exceptionality discourse, the collection of sculptures is amazing. Such an exceptional accumulation of beautiful and sensitive masterpieces. Oteiza hardly sold his main works, and therefor most of his work is there as part of this publically-owned collection. The tizas, the maclas, the metaphysical boxes, the glass experiments that have been admired by those who love Oteiza's work, are all there. Also his rather conventional incursions in architecture, half way between Adalberto Libera and a primitive Peter Eisenman. Don't miss it.

It's around €30 to get in. For me art is like faith - if one has faith - it's deeply personal and…read moreprivate and that's how it will remain. I prefer paintings to sculpture and I'm not a fan of animals chainsawed in pieces, bathed in formaldehyde, and put on display. Nor un-made beds lauded as such. I have seen art that has just stopped me in my tracks and for years I enjoyed visiting museums but as my already poor sight diminishes it's not as rewarding as it once was. What was annoying around this museum were the beggars - mobile phones and cigarettes in hand - and they are aplenty around the centre of Bilbao too. One young guy had it well sussed as when people said they only had credit cards and phones to pay he escorted victims into local cafes for food and coffee. He even helpfully knew the locations of bank cash machines. Oh I had a friend who went insane progressively and is now dead but as he sunk into insanity he became more and more convinced that formaldehyde (pH3, -92c melting point and -19c boiling point) was responsible for all human disaster including wars, cancers and he set about writing to politicians, Royalty and the media to alert them to this world-ending threat. I only remembered this triggered by the formaldehyde animals.

The museum is designed by Frank Gehry. Even if you don't go inside, the building itself is a work…read moreof art. There sculptures outside the museum are also worth a visit, including "Puppy" by Jeff Koons and "Maman" by Louise Bourgeois. We caught "F.O.G." by Fujiko Nakaya, which is active every hour on the hour- hours are dependent on the month. "Red Arches" by Daniel Burenbhas has a lighting show and "Fire Fountain" by Yves Klein are both active in the evening. The museum consists of contemporary and modern art. I'm not a big museum person, but there were things that I enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised to see one of Yayoi Kusama's infinity mirrored rooms- "A Wish for Human Happiness Calling from Beyond the Universe". I wished they let you in the room longer when there wasn't much of a line. "The Matter of Time" by Richard Sierra on the ground floor was also fun to walk around/through. The second floor was mostly closed, so we didn't get the full experience. Overall, the museum is a must if you're in Bilbao.

I was a bit disappointed with this museum. I thought it would be similar to El Prado in Madrid,…read morewith lots and lots of master paintings but it was actually a combination of traditional Renaissance and Medieval paintings and modern art. The amount of paintings by masters of the Renaissance was very small. The museum itself was not very big either...just two floors and about 4 wings. Overall not a bad place to spend a few hours, but not a place that I would recommend to someone that liked their time at The Prado in Madrid.

I'm sometimes fortunate enough to be traveling with my art historian daughter. She had the Museo…read moreBellas Artes on our itinerary before doing anything else in the city on our most recent visit. For about half of the museum, they had a small amount of art in each room. Mostly it would represent 2 different artists, of different time periods, and one or two works by each. I found it to be a thought provoking experience, wondering what common themes or influences I could find. Sometimes, similarities were obvious, other times not. Being allowed to draw our own conclusions was nice, but I would have also appreciated commentary from their curatorial staff, telling us how and why the pairings were made. The major artists represented were wonderful to see. FYI - admission was free when we visited (June 2023), but we did have to stop at the ticket office and claim our physical proof of entry. They do not allow backpacks (very sensibly), and have free lockers in the basement to check your bags.

I returned in October 2018, prompting this belated second review. Although we are already in 2020 I…read morewanted to document that my second visit lived up to the great memories I had. The food, the tour and the museum continue to be excellent. This time we focused on the museum floors that we did not get to visit the last time we were here we also spent more time in their shop and sampled new wines. We were touring Logroño with a couple of friends and found an excuse to bring them, since they've never visited before. However, we enjoy this museum so much that next time we are in town even if we don't have anyone new to bring, we will still visit!

You must start any visit to La Rioja here. Museum is beautiful, interesting, and the pics from here…read moreare unsurpassed. Go early in the morning for the best experience. Have pintxos on the terrace after.

I just returned from Spain, where we saw Chillida sculptures everywhere, particularly in the north…read more This was an eye-opener, as I only learned about him a few years ago, while staying with friends in St. Jean-de-Luz, in France, about 20 minutes north of the Spanish border. Luckily, at that time, my friend's father practically forced my friend's wife and I to go down to Spain to the Chillida sculpture garden. So I knew them when I saw them. (I'll add some pictures in the future.) I'm actually not a huge fan of abstract sculpture, but the space is beautiful and when you can see all of his work in one place, it clicks. If you are in Bilbao for the Guggenheim, or in the area for any other reason, I strongly recommend spending an hour or two at this museum. Note: It's not terribly easy to find. Get directions in advance.

Our wonderful hosts at the Pension Bellas Artes told my wife and I that we needed to pay a visit to…read morethe Chillida museum. This was emphasized even more by the the fact that apparently they were closing at the end of 2010. Personally I am not a huge fan of most forms of modern art, but I found the Chillida museum pretty engaging. You can wander around the many pieces of art that are placed throughout the grounds. It might be a fun place to let the kids expend some energy while you wander around and interpret the pieces. Hopefully someone will step in and manage the finances of this uniquely Basque artist's legacy, far better then the previous caretakers.

The children's science museum in San Sebastián has quick accessibility from anywhere in the area…read morevia a bus ride. This convenience makes it an easy and convenient option for families looking for a fun and educational activity. It's not just convenient and indoors it's loads of fun , making it a great choice for a rainy day activity. The diverse range of exhibits caters to children of all ages, providing an engaging and interactive experience. The museum is well-priced for the amount of exhibits and activities available. This makes it a cost-effective option for families looking to explore and learn together. There is a small cafe attached but I would not use up caloric space there and save it for one of San Sebastian's culinary palaces of flavor. All exhibits at the museum have explanations in English, French, Spanish, and Basque. This inclusive approach ensures that visitors from various linguistic backgrounds can fully enjoy and understand the educational content on display. It's a great change from what else you have been doing here and definitely worth checking out if you have the time.

The museum itself is fantastic. A great way to spend the day with kids. Highly recommended…read more But if you get hungry, avoid the cafe/restaurant attached to the museum. The service is dismal. It is overpriced and the little boy claiming to be the manager has anger management issues when it comes to dealing with any adults not on his side of the counter. Advice: eat somewhere else.

Photos etc coming soon…read more Very interesting small museum Next door to the Archeology Museum Free on Thursday