Twenty-five Years of the «Guggenheim Effect». Brief Approach to the Impact of Guggenheim Bilbao Museum on the Bilbao Art System

Veinticinco años del «efecto Guggenheim». Breve aproximación al impacto del museo Guggenheim Bilbao en el sistema del arte bilbaíno

Abstract

This article analyses the impact that Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has had on the local art system since its opening in 1997 until 2022. For this matter, in the first part of the article I present a historical review of the Strategic Plan for the Revitalisation of Metropolitan Bilbao, from which the creation of this international cultural infrastructure arose. Following, the nature of Bilbao’s artistic ecosystem is introduced, to then go on to study how this museum has influenced it. Finally, the three parameters that have guided this analysis are presented: the presence of Basque art in the museum through its exhibition and acquisition, its influence on the presence of galleries and exhibition spaces and, lastly, the perception that the local art system has of the museum.