News

Guggenheim Bilbao Museum Director, Juan Ignacio Vidarte, and the head of the Biscay council, José Luis Bilbao, addressed the board of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York on Wednesday to present the results of preliminary studies into the key factors behind their project to extend the Guggenheim Bilbao by building a second museum in the Biscay coastal town of Urdaibai.

According to sources from within the Guggenheim Bilbao, the members of the New York board reacted positively to the analysis and recommended moving to the next phase of studies relating to the project, as laid out in the Bilbao museum''s Strategic Plan objectives.

"In line with the Guggenheim Foundation''s strategic commitment to a solid international outlook which is, at the same time, inspiring and transforming, we believe the Urdaibai project is an excellent opportunity to reinvent the creative process and will offer the visitor a memorable cultural and artistic experience," announced Foundation and New York Guggenheim Director, Richard Armstrong.

The director of the Guggenheim Bilbao, Vidarte, stressed meanwhile that "with the extension in Urdaibai, the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum would not only seek to enlarge its space, but also to develop new projects, strengthen its alliances and create a new museum experience based on the fusion of art with nature and its surroundings through novel and creative initiatives".

Head curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Nancy Spector, added that "through the fusion of art, nature and education, the Urdaibai project would seek new and diverse cultural initiatives, related not so much with the result, but with the artistic process. Artists and thinkers will be invited to take up residence in the location for various periods of time, generating a center for experimentation and the constant exchange of ideas, with special attention given to the local area and landscape. The Guggenheim Urdaibai would enhance interaction with other disciplines and create a platform as a catalyst for inspiration, dialogue and action".

First phase

The first phase of preliminary studies, carried out during 2009, sought to identify and analyze questions such as the conceptual model and the anticipated content of the project: legal, town-planning, environmental, and geological aspects relating to the chosen building plot; a program of architectural requirements for the building; potential interest and the economic impact, from the period of construction to the actual running of the museum.

The results of the preliminary study will be presented to the board and executive committee of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum Foundation on 22nd December.

"Profound doubts"

Prior to the meeting on Wednesday, Basque Government Councilor for Culture, Blanca Urgell, expressed her "profound doubts" regarding the project to extend the museum in Urdaibai, citing possible environmental effects, and an overly "simplistic" plan, which she believes proposes the new museum as a mere "instrument" for economic development.