If You Build it, They Might Come

Grant Hiskes

April 5th, 2022

A picture I took on a hill in Bilbao

Sitting on the Nervión River in the north of Spain is Bilbao, perhaps Basque Country’s most notable city. Like the Catalans of Barcelona, the Basques of Bilbao share a strong sense of nationalism. However, the two historic nationalities had differing strategies for their urban development. Barcelona developed through a series of events like the 1992 Olympics and the 2004 Forum, whereas Bilbao put their faith in one building to redirect their city’s trajectory. That one building was the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, also known today as “the Bilbao”. The Bilbao put its namesake city on the world map and left other cities around the world trying to recreate the secret recipe. Architecture critic Hal Foster attempts to explain this secret recipe as a mixture of three ingredients: an emblematic icon (the museum building itself), a global trademark (the Guggenheim Foundation), and a signature architect (Frank Gehry). (Klingmann 240) While Foster illustrates important components of this recipe, he neglects some key components that explain why copycats were not able to experience the same type of success as Bilbao. This essay will analyze the unique factors that allowed the Bilbao Guggenheim to have the success that was difficult for other cities to replicate. Factors influencing the Bilbao Guggenheim’s success were the local community’s embrace of the project and also its being the first architecture of spectacle to stimulate urban development. These factors illustrate why the Basque city experienced the transformation it did and shows why not all other cities were not able to replicate that success.

To understand why the local community has embraced the Bilbao Guggenheim, it is imperative to examine the history of Basque culture and the city of Bilbao. Basque Country encompasses areas bordering the Bay of Biscay and the western foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. With the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, the iron ore mines within Basque Country allowed the region to rise to prominence. Historically, however, Basque culture has revolved around tending to isolated farmsteads that has manifested into strong family kinship bonds, a sense of independence, and Basque nationalism. Strong nationalism in the key port city made Bilbao a target of Franco’s military during the Spanish Civil War, where the city was ravaged by bombings. The Basques remained a thorn in Spain’s side through the death of Franco as the Basque terrorist organization ETA (“Basque Homeland and Territory”) launched violent attacks on citizens and officials throughout Spain. Certainly not all Basques resorted to violence, but the terrorist affiliation did tarnish Basque nation’s image. (“Basque”)

Basque government officials were looking for ideas to revitalize Bilbao. More hard times for the Basques in Bilbao arose with the economic downturn in the iron and steel industry that closed the coveted Euskalduna Shipyards in 1988. (“History of Bilbao”) Fellow Spanish cities Seville and Barcelona were receiving a new influx of investment with the 1992 Seville Expo and 1992 Olympics, respectively. Looking for similar attention, Basque officials contacted The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1991 with hopes of housing the next satellite museum. After securing the bid, Bilbao held a closed competition to select the architect for the project and chose the famed Canadian architect Frank Gehry over two other candidates. Gehry pitched his plan for the new museum in 1993, and his acclaim as an architect allowed him to choose a different site than originally planned for the museum. (Klingmann 238) Aided by technological advancements in 3D modeling like CATIA and CAD-CAM, Gehry’s Guggenheim was completed shortly thereafter in 1997. The building would cost upwards of $150 Million and was financed primarily by the Basque government and provincial authorities along with eighty private companies. (Klingmann 245) The large sum of financing provided the Basque government with primary ownership of the building, allowing the government to benefit more substantially from the revenue generated by their new crown jewel. 

However, money was not the only motive for the Basques. After all, officials were intentional with choosing Frank Gehry as architect. Architecture scholar Anna Klingmann likens Gehry and his aspirations to Aristotle, who believed “the greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor”. (Kligmann 240) Gehry very much did construct the Guggenheim as a metaphor to the community itself as he stated in an interview, “I spent a lot of time making the building relate to the 19th century street module and then it was on the river, the sea, the boats coming up the channel. It was a boat”. (Moore “The Bilbao Effect)

Gehry’s leverage of the metaphor is not limited to the resemblance of a boat. Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum follows the deconstructivist architecture style. In 1991, deconstructivism was not a new or particularly significant architecture style, but it had been gaining more attention since a 1988 Museum of Modern Art exhibition. Deconstructivism is not regarded as an avant-garde style that goes against society, but the style also does not follow rules. (“What is Deconstructivism?”) Given Gehry’s appreciation for metaphors, one could see the parallels between the Basques and deconstructivism and how that architectural style would resonate with the Basques.

Further visible resonance with the structure can be seen with the museum’s other physical characteristics. The titanium ridgeline resembles the mountain range that surrounds the city and the river that flows through it. Gehry was also very keen on the physical situation of the structure. The Guggenheim was deliberately situated by Gehry in its current position so that it may be seen from various vantage points throughout the city with the intention of creating points of surprise and excitement. The subterranean entrance is directly aligned with Alameda de Recalde that ends at the main plaza of Bilbao. (Klingmann 242) The jutting titanium shapes are visible from various streets throughout the city, but the building does not dominate the rest of the skyline. Inhabitants of Bilbao are constantly reminded they are in the presence of the museum that almost feels a part of their everyday life, but the building does not overshadow the skyline as if it is all the city has to offer. The tailoring of the building to the Bilbao landscape alone gives the building less of an encroaching feel.

The titanium ridge line

Subterranean Entrance

The Guggenheim’s physical characteristics make it easier for the people of Bilbao to embrace the architectural marvel. As mentioned in the thesis, it is this embrace of the Guggenheim by the local community that has played a critical role in changing the course of Bilbao’s fate. Morale was low in the years leading up to the opening of the Guggenheim, but Bilbao native and Basque politician Jon Azua praises the positive psychological effects of the building on Bilbainos, “We recovered our self-esteem. Suddenly, Bilbainos feel that it is possible to reverse the city’s trajectory of industrial decline”. (Klingmann 239) The Bilbainos viewed the Guggenheim Museum more as a restoration of their pride, whereas inhabitants of more flourishing cities may view a building of such a structure as a money-making venture that distracts from the rest of the city’s charm. One failure from a bigger city is referenced by Anthony Giddens, a director at the London School of Economics, with regards to the Millennium Dome in London.  “Money and originality of design are not enough. The Millennium Dome in London cost ten times as much as Bilbao’s Guggenheim and has been a failure. You need many ingredients for big, emblematic projects to work, and one of the keys is active support of the local community”, says Giddens. (Klingmann 248) The local community supported the Bilbao Guggenheim. Bilbao rallied behind the notion they had the original idea to spur economic development through a single building. The Millennium Dome did not cultivate nearly the same support in London as London was already a flourishing city. The marginal value contributed to London through building another architectural spectacle pales in comparison to the value added to the Bilbao and Basque communities with the construction of the Guggenheim that completely rejuvenated their pride in the city.

The restoration of pride among the people of Bilbao was cemented by the economic success of the Guggenheim. Expecting 500,000 visitors in the Guggenheim’s first year in 1997, the museum instead attracted ~1.4 million visitors that were responsible for bringing in $160 million in revenue. Three years later in 2000, the Basque government had already recouped its $84 million investment, justifying the large expense to the Basque taxpayers. (Klingmann 238) With the influx of tourists, the local economy proliferated, leading to a further embrace of the Guggenheim. Without this economic success, it is uncertain if the support and embrace from the local community would have persisted. When cities that have tried to replicate Bilbao do not meet the anticipated success in the short-term, support of the project from the local community is likely to wane. When local support wanes, the Bilbao clone will lose its appeal as an attraction to the broader public as well.

The success of Gehry’s building in Bilbao was reinforced when the Guggenheim attracted other renowned architects to the city to leave their own imprint on various urban renewal projects. Seeing what was taking place in Bilbao, over sixty cities sent requests to Frank Gehry and businessman Thomas Krens to create the same magic in their city. Frank Gehry knew how difficult it would be to replicate Bilbao though. He told Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne that the days of architecture excess were “dead in the water”.  (Klingmann 247) The Bilbao Guggenheim had a tremendous advantage by being the first city to use architecture as a catalyst. Because it was the first of its kind, Bilbao and the Guggenheim began drawing a lot of media attention in pop culture. The Guggenheim was featured in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough (1999), rock band Smashing Pumpkins performed a concert in front of the Guggenheim in 1998, and celebrities like Brad Pitt and Mariah Carey were also photographed at the museum. (Klingmann 243) Seeing celebrities at the Guggenheim made the previously unheard of Bilbao a destination for tourists.

The plan to spur the economic development of Bilbao with the Guggenheim was effective because of the local community’s embrace of the museum. The publicly owned structure represented Basque culture and reflected the Bilbao landscape in a way that brought the local community a sense of ownership as well. Being the first to have the idea to develop a city through a singular building and the plan’s subsequent success restored pride and morale to the Basque people that further led to their support of the museum. The originality of the Bilbao concept cultivated public support but also made Bilbao a trendsetting destination that people wanted to travel to, directors wanted to film, and bands wanted to perform at. Replicating Bilbao is difficult because there can only be one original, and being the original gave Bilbao an embrace of the Guggenheim that will be difficult to replicate. So yes, Hal Foster’s three ingredients are important in the pursuit of creating a Bilbao clone, but the novelty of Bilbao’s Guggenheim and its attribution to the strong local embrace of a project certainly cannot be neglected. 

For dinner, I went to Kuma. I did not know it at the time, but Kuma is a Michelin-star restaurant. Though Bilbao has a population of ~345,000, the city has 13 Michelin-star restaurants. Iker (middle), the waiter, sat me at the bar right where Chef Daniel Lomana (right) prepared the foot right in front of me. I put my Spanish to the test and had a great conversation about Daniel’s life and Basque culture once I told them I was doing a piece on the Guggenheim. I really enjoyed hearing Daniel’s story, which gave me a much greater appreciation for the culinary craft and the Japanese influence he puts into his dishes.

Works Cited

“Basque.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Basque.

“History of Bilbao.” Bilbao.eus, https://www.bilbao.eus/cs/Satellite?cid=1279141757270&language=en&pagename=Bilbaonet%2FPage%2FBIO_contenidoFinal

Klingman, Anna. Brandscape: Architecture in the Experience Economy. MIT Press, 2007

Moore, Rowan. “The Bilbao Effect: How Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Started a Global Craze.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Oct. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/oct/01/bilbao-effect-frank-gehry-guggenheim-global-craze.

Stouhi, Dima. “What Is Deconstructivism?” ArchDaily, ArchDaily, 11 Aug. 2020, https://www.archdaily.com/899645/what-is-deconstructivism.