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M The Fine Arts Museum's beginnings date back to 1908 when it was officially founded, although it did not actually open to the public until 1914. However, when the respective collections of the Modern Art Museum of Bilbao, founded in 1924, was amalgamated with that of the Fine Arts Museum, it became the institution we know today. Inaugurated in 1945, the building was designed by architects Fernando URRUTIA and Gonzalo CARDENAS. This Neoclassical building was quickly embraced by the public, along with artists who found a venue to showcase their creative inventions, turned it into the foremost hub of cultural activity in the city. The museum's identity, forged by the unification of the two previous museums, intensified the dedication to conservation and displaying of classical art, while striving to expand to contemporary art. This intentionality and dynamic created a space where all residents of Bilbao, each with their own interests, could find a place for cultural appreciation in this Ensanche building. First directed by painter Manuel LOSADA, private donations and public interest steadily ensured that the Fine Arts Museum would become one of the leading museums in Spain, having amassed one of the most solid collections in the country. Such was the growth of the collection that in 1970 the Museum experienced the first of its expansions, under the direction of architects Alvaro LIBANO and Ricardo BEASCOA, who designed an austere, modernist building while respecting the Neo-classical work left to us by Fernando URRUTIA and Gonzalo CARDENAS. Later, in 1980, the building was further expanded, with work directed by Jorge de BARANDIARAN, who renovated the building's basements for use as part of the museum.
With the Guggenheim Museum opening its doors in 1997, neither the activity nor the role of the Fine Arts Museum suffered negatively, as some would have thought, but rather it has even taken on a new dimension, in the form of a new renovation project which was planned and approved in 1996. The renovation was to enlarge and improve communication between the two existing buildings, with the intention of better showcasing the Museum's significant collection to a public that was expected to increase considerably. After all the renovation work had been completed, the Museum reopened its doors in 2001. A notable change was the relocation of the main entrance, among the many fundamental alterations, designed by a team of architects led by Luis URIARTE, which included architects Borja ARANA, Jose Ramon FORASTER and Borja PAGAZAURTUNDUA. Receiving approximately 200,000 visitors annually, the Fine Arts Museum is today a key institution in Bilbao's cultural activity, not only for its exhibits, but also for its conservation and research.
The Collection The Permanent Collection of the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao consists of approximately 8,000 works, dating between the 12th and the 21st centuries, save for a few earlier exceptions. Particularly highlighting painters from the Spanish School and works by Basque artists from all epochs, the collection also contains a large collection of European paintings from all periods by great artists from Romanesque art to Barcelo or Bacon. The diverse and important nature of the Museum's Permanent Collection is such that the Museum itself, on its own web site, strongly suggests that an essential route through the Museum's Galleries would include the outstanding works of: Bermejo, Benson, Mandijn, Vredeman de Vries, De Vos, Moro, Sanchez Coello, El Greco, Pourbus, Gentileschi, Ribera, Zurbaran, Van Dyck, Murillo, Arellano, Melendez, Bellotto, Goya, Paret, Villaamil, Ribot, Zamacois, Madrazo, Gauguin, Cassatt, Sorolla, Guiard, Ensor, Regoyos, Romero de Torres, Zuloaga, Sunyer, Arteta, Gutierez Solana, Vazquez Diaz, Lipchitz, Delaunay, Gonzalez, Gargallo, Bacon, Palazuelo, Oteiza, Chillida, Caro, Millares, Tapies, Saura, L端pertz, Kitaj, Blake, Arroyo and Barcelo, among others.
Goya, Portrait of MartĂn Zapater.
ZurbarĂĄn, The Virgin with the Child Jesus and the Child Saint John the Baptist. El Greco, The Annunciation.
Gentileschi, Lot and his Daughters.
Zuloaga, Portrait of the Countess Mathieu de Noailles.
Cassatt, Woman Sitting with a Child in Arms.
Gauguin, Washerwomen in Arles.
Past Exhibitions Along with numerous shows from the Permanent Collection, the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao annually programmes a significant calendar of temporary exhibitions allowing visitors to view art from all periods, genres and aspects. The exhibitions cover a variety of perspectives on classical or contemporary international art, and bringing the trajectories of the most notable local artists to the public eye. After the latest renovation and improvements, and since reopening in 2001, there have been a number of important exhibitions to date organised by the Fine Arts Museum. Some examples are: The Spanish Still Life (1999); Caravaggio (1999); Women Impressionists (2001); Gaur, Hemen, Orain (Today, Here and Now) (2002); Julio Romero de Torres (2003); Txomin Badiola (2003); The City that Never Was (2004); John Davies (2005); Paris and the Surrealists (2005); British Pop (2006); Kasimir Malevich (2006); The Spanish Portrait in the Prado (2007); Poussin and Nature (2008); Peter Blake: A Retrospective (2008); The Young Murillo (2009), and Balenciaga. Designing the limits (2010).