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November 1, 2007
Guggenheim Bilbao
The Guardian
By Phil Olterman and Jonathan Bell
An article about the Frank Gehry "Bilbao Effect" also covers some of the controversial back story:
Running a city took a step closer to computer simulation with the apparent discovery of the "Bilbao Effect". The fabled consequence of Gehry's great swoops of titanium was a huge influx of tourist money, as culture filled the void left by Bilbao's fading industry. That, at least, was the theory. The truth wasn't quite so black and white, but it didn't stop planeloads of mayoral deputations arriving from around the world, all eager to imitate its success. Everyone wanted their own culture magnet, often calling up Gehry himself and effectively asking him to replicate the scheme.
...
The initial plans for a Guggenheim museum in Bilbao were not without controversy. Funded entirely by the host country but masterminded from New York, many Basque commentators, including the now-banned separatist party Herri Batasuna, saw the museum as a sign of cultural imperialism, an economically motivated attempt to purge the region of its history. A week before the opening gala in October 1997, police officer José María Aguirre was shot and killed after he interrupted a group of Eta terrorists disguised as gardeners, who tried to plant remote-controlled grenades in the Jeff Koons sculpture outside the museum. When the Spanish monarchs, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia officially opened the museum on October 18, police snipers watched on from the rooftops of surrounding buildings. Whether Gehry's building actually erases the city's cultural heritage, as Eta suggested, is debatable. Bilbao is famous for its maritime history: after Barcelona, it has Spain's largest port. Gehry's building, which edges on to the Nervión riverfront and has been likened by many to a shipwreck, seems to pay tribute to its own surroundings.
Posted by lumi at November 1, 2007 4:45 AM