Guggenheim Museum : Frank Gehry : Bilbao, Spain
Contributed by Tyler McGough
Principles and Elements
The Guggenheim Museum creates the idea of movement and activity from exterior to interior. This curvy like shaped sculpture represents a great example of 20th century architecture. With the use of an organic material, like titanium on the exterior, the material’s color changes throughout the day allowing for a beautiful emphasis of finishes on the facade.
Theories
“The Matter of Time” by Richard Serra allows for the user to experience the curvy artist’s sculptural spiral like forms. This spiral form is created from sections of spheres, enhancing different effects for the user, ultimately changing the viewers perception and movement throughout the exhibit. Additionally, this spaces produces various and unexpected proportions requiring the viewers to move around and/or through the spiral like space.
Finished Furnishings
This minimalistic setup with smooth white materials and geometrical seating, suggests to the viewers that this exhibition space is for reading important books and documents. With a neutral toned background, and concrete flooring, this space serves as an interactive spot for viewers to sit, and take a break or enjoy reading books from the museum. The geometrical white cube-shaped stools and rectangular table, allow for a clean, contemporary look emphasizing functionality, comfortability and simplicity.
Color
Jeff Koons art installation on the exterior of the museum “Puppy” produces emotions, like joy, and leaves viewers in “awe” on their way into the museum. Through the use different tones, and complementary colors this installation evokes various feelings for viewers. The large scale puppy is made up of bedding plants, and flowers. Considering this installation in scale, it is very big and suggests a feeling that it is not controlled.
Experience
From exterior to interior, architecturally speaking viewers would not know this museum was built around the structures atrium. The three levels of the building connect through curved pathways, unexpected forms leading them in different directions, staircases and glass elevators. The experience of this museum ultimately connects throughout the entire interior of the building defined by its structural form.
Telling Stories
This painting “Sunflowers” from the gallery “The Guggenheim Museums and the Art of this Century exhibition” dedicated to Adam Keifer, celebrates the selection of 250 pieces of art from the 20th century. Although, this specific piece originally called “Tournesols” is made on a canvas using acrylic paint, shellac, and woodcut. “Sunflowers” serves as a storytelling painting for viewers, a form of dark sunflowers surrounding a naked man. This painting represents meaningful insights that plants are connected to everything in the sky, each plant has a connection, and the universe and earth are deeply connected. Therefore, this painting allows for the viewer to think about meaningful connections on earth.
“Bidon I’ Esbroufe” a piece of interlocking shapes made of polyester resin and vinyl paint, represents the artist diving deep into fantasies to create this three-dimensional space for viewers. On the other hand, this sculpture evokes feelings of imagination for viewers, allowing them to think about the universe and it’s dimensions. Although, this sculpture suggests something unsolved to the viewer, leaving it open to the viewers imagination to create their own meaning of this mysterious sculpture.
Connections
On the exterior of the museum, lies a bubble like circular stacked form. Each ball is polished with a reflective mirror surface, that looks smooth and bright. Therefore, viewers will see reflective views of the urban landscape and the city surrounding the museum allowing for meaningful connections to the location of the museum, creating a sense of place and ultimately connecting the museum to its surrounding exterior city environments. Additionally, if the viewer stands in front of the abstract structure, they may be able to see their reflection and the shadows coming from their reflection.
lighting and Technology
Jenny Holzer created this art installation for the Guggenheim Museum with the intention to place unexpected text on signs in a setting where the interior space is dimly lit with cool tones, and reflective blue walls that contrast with the red digital signing. The cool tones and contrasting colors are appealing to the viewer. Therefore, the viewer will begin to read the signs and think about what the intentions were behind each phrasing. To add, this type of use of technology in art allows for artist to grasp the viewers attention through the use of digital media that typically a viewer would not experience or consider something like this installation to be considered as “art”.
Contrasting Materiality
This photograph by David Rosen emphasizes the curvy structural like form of the museum and the use of titanium material on the exterior. Continuous structural form is replicated and connected on the interior of the museum and with the use of harmonizing materials, limestone, glass, and water. Specifically in this photograph, the facade poses connections between the lower sections incorporating limestone grounding the museum and its historical significance in architecture. Ultimately, Gehry creates conversation between natural elements, and framework allowing for shapes to define the Guggenheim Museum structure.
