Editing Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (section)

=== Architecture ===
[[File:GuggenheimBilbao.jpg|thumb|upright|The museum is clad in glass, titanium, and limestone.|alt=]]
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation selected [[Frank Gehry]] as the architect, and its director, [[Thomas Krens]], encouraged him to design something daring and innovative.<ref>Gehry, Frank. ''Frank Gehry Talks Architecture and Process'' (New York: Rizolli, 1999), p. 20</ref> The curves on the exterior of the building were intended to appear random; the architect said that "the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light".<ref name="aggarwal">{{Cite web| last =Aggerwal| first =Artika | title =Frank Owen Gerty |access-date=18 August 2011| url = http://www.archinomy.com/case-studies/1931/frank-owen-gehry}}</ref> The interior "is designed around a large, light-filled atrium with views of Bilbao's estuary and the surrounding hills of the Basque country".<ref name="Priceless">{{Cite web |date=2009-10-20 |title=The priceless Peggy Guggenheim |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/the-priceless-peggy-guggenheim-1806124.html |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> The atrium, which Gehry nicknamed ''The Flower'' because of its shape, serves as the organizing center of the museum.<ref name=Riding1/>

When the museum opened to the public in 1997, it was immediately hailed as one of the world's most spectacular buildings in the style of [[Deconstructivism]] (although Gehry does not associate himself with that architectural movement),<ref name="lee" /> a masterpiece of the 20th century.<ref name="Tompkins">{{Cite magazine |last=Tomkins |first=Calvin |date=1997-06-29 |title=The Maverick |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/07/07/the-maverick |access-date=2023-07-22 |issn=0028-792X}}</ref> Architect [[Philip Johnson]] described it as "the greatest building of our time",<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2010-06-30 |title=Architecture in the Age of Gehry |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/08/architecture-survey-201008 |access-date=2023-07-22 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref> while critic [[Calvin Tomkins]], in ''The New Yorker'', characterized it as "a fantastic dream ship of undulating form in a cloak of [[titanium]]," its brilliantly reflective panels also reminiscent of fish scales.<ref name=Tompkins/> [[Herbert Muschamp]] praised its "mercurial brilliance" in ''The New York Times Magazine''.<ref name="Muschamp">{{Cite news |last=Muschamp |first=Herbert |date=1997-09-07 |title=The Miracle In Bilbao |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/07/magazine/the-miracle-in-bilbao.html |access-date=2023-07-22 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''The Independent'' calls the museum "an astonishing architectural feat".<ref name = Priceless/>

[[File:Guggenheim Bilbao aerial view.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of the museum]]
The museum is seamlessly integrated into the urban context, unfolding its interconnecting shapes of stone, glass and titanium on a {{convert|32500|m2|adj=on|abbr=on}} site along the [[Nervión]] River in the ancient industrial heart of the city; while modest from street level, it is most impressive when viewed from the river.<ref name=Muschamp/><ref name="Templer"/> With a total {{convert|24000|m2|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|11000|m2|abbr=on}} are dedicated to exhibition space, it had more exhibition space than the three Guggenheim collections in New York and Venice combined at that time.<ref name=Security/> The {{convert|11000|m2|abbr=on}} of exhibition space are distributed over nineteen galleries, ten of which follow a classic orthogonal plan that can be identified from the exterior by their stone finishes. The remaining nine galleries are irregularly shaped and can be identified from the outside by their swirling organic forms and titanium cladding. The largest gallery measures {{convert|130|x|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ArchBilbao/><ref name=Muschamp/> In 2005, it housed [[Richard Serra]]'s monumental installation ''[[The Matter of Time]]'', which [[Robert Hughes (critic)|Robert Hughes]] dubbed "courageous and sublime".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hughes |first=Robert |date=2005-06-22 |title=Man of steel |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/jun/22/art |access-date=2023-07-22 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The building was constructed on time and budget, which is rare for architecture of this type. In an interview in ''[[Harvard Design Magazine]]'', Gehry explained how he did it. First, he ensured that what he calls the "[[organization of the artist]]" prevailed during construction, to prevent political and business interests from interfering with the design. Second, he made sure he had a detailed and realistic cost estimate before proceeding. Third, he used computer visualizations produced by Rick Smith employing [[Dassault Systèmes|Dassault Systemes]]' [[CATIA]] V3 software<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |title=Building Art – The Life and Work of Frank Gehry |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-307-70153-4 |location=New York |pages=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.3ds.com/press-releases/single/gehry-technologies-extends-partnership-with-dassault-systemes-to-develop-solutions-for-building-ind/|title=Gehry Technologies Extends Partnership with Dassault Systèmes to Develop Solutions for Building Industry|last=Malherbe|first=Arnaud|date=23 October 2003|work=Dassault Systemes' Press Releases|access-date=3 August 2018}}</ref> and collaborated closely with the individual building trades to control costs during construction.

[[KLM Royal Dutch Airlines]] donated $1,000,000 towards its construction.