Probably the biggest puppy in the world

The Guggenheim is famous for the wonderful architecture of its building, for its modern art exhibitions


Main entrance to Guggenheim Museum

And for Puppy!


Puppy



'Puppy' is a 13m high West Highland White designed by the artist Jeff Koons. It is made from a steel structure and is covered with clay and flowers which are changed seasonally. It was first built in 1992 for an exhibition in Germany before it was acquired by the Guggenheim Foundation and moved to stand guard over the entrance to the museum in 1997 and where it has remained ever since. 'Puppy' is delightful to see and has become a symbol of the city.

Wouldn't this be a great view to have every day either from your apartment window or on your way to work? And for all the film buffs, the white building on the right is where James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) escaped from in the film The World Is Not Enough!

Hasta pronto!

Bubbles

The Guggenheim holds modern art exhibitions which run for a certain length of time and then are completely changed. I'm not sure if they have a permanent exhibition because I've never had time to actually go into the museum and wander around. Next time I go I need to plan a longer visit so I can get to go in and see what's on show.

But you don't actually need to go in to be able to see some examples of modern art. If you saw yesterday's post then you'll have seen the giant spider which is a permanent feature to the museum. There are usually other pieces of art outside which do change and when I was there recently there was one particular sculpture that I loved.

Bubbles

It looks like a tower of bubbles or air bubbles in water that are floating to the surface. I thought that it was a very original piece of art and that it was a perfect example of something simple which is totally captivating.

You can see how the bubbles reflect the buildings on the opposite bank of the river. It's a scene within a scene and I thought that it gave a whole different dimension to the sculpture.

The sculpture fits in perfectly with its modern surroundings. The Guggenheim museum is on the left and, in the background, is the Iberdrola building which towers over one of the new university faculties.

Hasta pronto!

Modern art on the street

There are many different views on modern art and even more interpretations. I prefer not to say that I always like one particular style or another because I find that there are always things that surprise me and break the mould. The newly modernised dock area of Bilbao along the river is one of those places that strikes me as very modern, but I like it.

La Puerta de Los Honorables

This sculpture is next to the Guggenheim museum and is in honour of Ramón Rubial, a former Socialist politician from the region.

The sculpture fits in nicely with the modern design of the neighbouring bridge.

"Maman" by Louise Bourgeois

Behind the Guggenheim lives the giant spider sculpture named "Maman" by the artist Louise Bourgeois.

If you look closely you can see the eggs that she´s carrying. This week I hope to be able to show you a few more interesting aspects of this very modern museum which catches the attention of anyone that visits the city.

Hasta pronto!