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Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa
MBBAABilbao Fachada Antiguo.jpg
Former main entrance
Established 1914 (1914)
Location Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
Type Art museum, Provincial museum
Collection size 10,000 items, 600 part of the exhibition
Visitors 150 721 (2022)
Public transit access Moyua Station (Metro Bilbao)
Abandoibarra, Guggenheim (Bilbao tram)

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (also known as Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao in Spanish or Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa in Basque) is an exciting art museum in Bilbao, Spain. You can find it right inside the beautiful Doña Casilda Iturrizar park.

This museum is super important! It's the second biggest and most visited museum in the Basque Country. Only the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum gets more visitors. It's also one of the best art museums in Spain outside of Madrid.

Inside, you'll discover an amazing collection of art from the Middle Ages all the way to today. It includes art from the Basque region, Spain, and other parts of Europe. You can see paintings by famous old masters like El Greco, Goya, and Van Dyck. There are also modern artists like Paul Gauguin and Francis Bacon.

Entrada Moderno
The modern building and main entrance to the museum.

Museum History

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum started in 1908. It opened its doors in 1914. The main building was finished in 1945. Later, it was made bigger in 1970 and again in 2001. This was to make space for all the new art.

The museum we see today was created by joining two older collections. The first was from the original Museo de Bellas Artes, which opened in 1914. The second was from the Museo de Arte Moderno (Museum of Modern Art), which started in 1924. In 2008, the museum celebrated its 100th birthday! Its slogan was "100 Years of History, 10 Centuries of Art."

Over the years, many people helped the museum grow. Local artists, citizens, and public groups worked together. This helped the museum gather one of the most important art collections in Spain. Many artworks were given as gifts or donations. The museum also worked hard to buy new pieces. This means visitors can see a long history of art.

Why the Museum Was Created

The museum's main goal is to collect, protect, study, and show its art. It also wants to keep adding to its collection. The museum aims to teach people about art and share the cultural values of the Basque region. It helps people learn and enjoy art.

The Museum Buildings

How the Museum Started

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum opened in 1914. It was created to help Bilbao become a more modern city. It also wanted to give local artists a place to learn and get ideas. A kind businessman named Laureano Jado gave a large art collection to start the museum. Other people also gave important donations. A painter named Manuel Losada was a big supporter. He became the first director.

The Modern Art Museum

Young artists in Bilbao became interested in new art styles. They saw many modern art shows. This led to the idea of a museum just for modern art. So, in 1924, the Museum of Modern Art opened. It was very new and exciting for its time. It helped Bilbao's art scene stand out in Spain.

A big art show in 1919 helped make this museum happen. The city bought many important artworks from this show. These included pieces by famous artists like Mary Cassatt and Paul Gauguin. These artworks became part of the new museum's collection.

The New Main Building

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the art collections were moved to safety. After the war, people decided the museum needed a new home. In 1939, the local government agreed to build a new place. It would be in the park, which is now called Doña Casilda Park.

The new building was designed by Fernando Urrutia and Gonzalo Cárdenas. It looked like grand old museums, with stone and red brick. It was finished in 1945. In 1962, it was named a "National Monument."

MBBAA Atrio edificio antiguo
View of the atrium in its new location.

Growing Bigger

The museum needed more space. So, in 1970, a new part was added. It had modern designs with metal and glass. This new section was used for contemporary art.

Over the years, the museum kept adding new areas. These included more exhibition halls, an auditorium, and a graphics cabinet. They also added new services like a restoration department, a library, and a cafeteria.

In the late 1990s, the city and regional governments wanted to make the museum even better. In 1996, they connected the old building with the new extension. They also changed the entrances. This made it easier for visitors to get in. The work was finished in 2001.

MBBAA Edificio nuevo 1971
First extension. View of the modern building, year 1971.

What's Happening Now

In 2000, a special foundation was created to help run the museum. In 2008, the museum celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Today, the museum has a total area of about 13,914 square meters. Over 5,000 square meters are used for the permanent collection. About 1,142 square meters are for temporary shows. The rest is for visitor services. Miguel Zugaza, who used to lead the famous Prado Museum, became the director in 2017.

In 2019, plans were made for another big expansion. Famous architects Foster + Partners are designing it. This new part will add even more space for art.

MBBAA Sala Antiguo
An exhibition room in the old building. On the left, "San Sebastián" painting of Jusepe de Ribera, and on the right, "The Virgin with the Child Jesus and the Child Saint John the Baptist", one of the most important works painted by Zurbarán two years before his death Francisco de Zurbarán.

The Art Collection

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum has an amazing collection of over 10,000 artworks! This includes about 1,500 paintings, 400 sculptures, and more than 6,500 works on paper. There are also about 1,000 pieces of applied art (like pottery). The art covers a very long time, from the 12th century to today.

The collection is shown in 33 rooms. It's divided into five main parts:

  • Ancient art
  • Modern and contemporary art
  • Basque art
  • Works on paper (like drawings and prints)
  • Applied arts

The museum has a strong focus on Spanish art. It also has a huge collection of Basque art. This makes it a top place to learn about art from the Basque region. You can also see art from other countries, like Flemish and Dutch paintings. There are even some unique Italian artworks.

The collection mixes old art (like Cranach and Goya) with modern art (like Bacon). You can also see art by Basque artists like Regoyos and Zuloaga. The art is usually shown in time order, from the 17th century to now.

Special Collections

The museum has some really cool special collections:

  • The Palace collection of art from Asia.
  • A pottery collection from Manises (Spain) from the 14th-16th centuries.
  • The Taramona-Basabe collection of ancient bronzes. These include pieces from the Etruscan, Italic, Roman, and Iberian cultures, going back to 600 BC!

The museum is especially proud of its Flemish and Dutch paintings. These include works by famous artists like Gossaert, Benson, Jordaens, and Ruisdael. In 2012, the museum added a very important painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder called Lucretia (from 1534).

You'll also find many works on paper. These are prints and engravings by artists like Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, and Hockney.

Some of the must-see artists in the museum include:

Essential Works

Washerwomen in Arles
Paul Gauguin- Washerwomen in Arles - c. 1888
Zurbaran-Virgen-Bilbao
Francisco de Zurbarán - The Virgin with the Child Jesus and the Child St. John - c. 1662
Jan Mandijn-Burlesque feast
Jan Mandijn - Burlesque Feast - c. 1550
Francisco de Goya - Portrait of Martín Zapater - Google Art Project
Francisco Goya - Portrait of Martín Zapater - c.1797
Orazio Gentileschi - Lot and His Daughters - Google Art Project
Lot and his Daughters - Orazio Gentileschi-c.1628
Woman Sitting with a Child in Her Arms - Mary Cassat
Mary Cassatt - Woman Sitting with a Child in Her Arms - c.1890

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao para niños

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