March 15, 2017 TnH Global 0

Spain celebrates 20th anniversary of Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

Receiving a million visits per year, the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum is a symbol of Bilbao’s transformation and its evolution into one of the avantgarde cities of the 21^stcentury. A spectacular building and the importance of the works that it houses puts the city among the only five in the world that welcome the funds of this important collection. Designed by the American architect Frank O. Gehry, this magnificent building celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year with a powerful and artistic programming.

To celebrate the anniversary, which will be held on October 19, 2017, the exhibition space in Bilbao will develop numerous activities over the course of 12 months under the motto “El arte lo cambia todo” (Art Changes Everything) as through this iconic monument Bilbao accomplished an intensive change which appointed it as an international cultural destination.

The aim of the program is to strengthen the position of Bilbao museum in the European and international art scene, strengthen ties with the Basque artistic and cultural environment and consolidate its position as the economic engine of Bilbao and its surroundings.

Here is a summary of the 20^th Anniversary Celebration Program:

The commemoration of the Anniversary will be present throughout the activity of the Museum from October 2016 to October 2017.
“Art changes everything” is the concept that presides over the year of celebration.
A special exhibition program and the opening of Museum’s spaces to young Basque artists and local cultural agents are some of the keys to the Anniversary.

The commemoration of the Anniversary will be presented in all Activities of the Museum from October 2016 to October 2017, and the concept of communication chosen is “Art changes everything“, a motto inspired by both the great change experienced by the city of Bilbao and its inhabitants since the opening of the Museum as for the transforming capacity of art. In addition, the Museum has designed a special application of its logo and will build a microsite which will be accessible from the Museum´s website which will serve as a communication platform during the anniversary celebration and will be deployed in the next months.

An important aspect to note is that the XX Anniversary of the Museum will receive from the Provincial Treasury of Bizkaia the recognition of a series of tax incentives for companies and entities that carry out the expenses and investments associated with the event and dissemination.

The commemoration will bring with it the development of an extraordinary activity in following three areas:

The Artistic Field, in which an ambitious conservation project of the Own Collection will be launched along with a special exhibition program. An intense and diverse catalogue that aims to attract a wide range of visitors interested in different concepts from the Parisians avant-garde to the American Abstract Expressionism with key representatives of comtemporary art as Bill Viola, France Beacon, David Hockney or Fiona Tan.
Collaboration with cultural agents and the local artistic community, which includes a call that will allow young Basque artists to show their work in the Museum; and a collaborative project, called TopARTE that allows local cultural associations to exhibit their art at some of the Museum facilities free of charge. Both proposals aim to strengthen the bond with the local community and
The third area will include a series of celebration events with and for citizens, which will be unveiled over the coming months. This events started the lastest 22 and 23 October with an open day in which visitors can contemplate the exhibitions for free.