Our Last Museo: Guggenheim!

We left San Sebastian (1) wishing we could stay but with clouds still threatening it seemed like a great idea to head to a museum. And of course we couldn't pass through Basque country without going to Bilbao and seeing the Guggenheim. As we neared Bilbao the skies cleared to a brilliant blue and the sun burst out. Irritating as Bilbao isn't even an hour away but those pretty skies made for some dramatic pictures of the museum. The parking again created drama for poor Ed (seriously "gps Jane": you're fired!). All was well when we found The Puppy and got underway at this incredibly impressive museum http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao.

I don't understand the objections to Gehry's design or materials--the building is intriguing from every angle (or from every lack of angle) and while some complain that it's too "sexy" that seems like sour grapes. And inside was full of surprises. We were lucky to see a temporary exhibition of one of Ed's favorite artists, Henri Rousseau, whose fascinating career--both customs agent and painter--and art were put in context with terrific signage and a nice range of his works. Of course the kids had a great time running around in Serra's shape-shifting, head-bending The Matter of Time. Koons, de Kooning, Jenny Holzer, Chillida, Warhol, Rothko, Rauschenberg, Tapies and so many more made for a full day at the Guggenheim. An amazing end to our summer of great art.