Test your Design IQ

What is this museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Spain?

MANILA, Philippines -The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists.

One of the most admired works of contemporary architecture, the building has been hailed as a “signal moment in the architectural culture,” because it represents “one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something.” The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts.

In 1991, the Basque government agreed to cover the $100 million construction cost, to create a $50 million acquisitions fund, to pay a one-time $20 million fee and to subsidize the museum’s $12 million annual budget. In exchange, the foundation agreed to manage the institution, rotate parts of its permanent collection through the Bilbao museum and organize temporary exhibits. The museum was eventually built at a cost of $89 million.

About 5,000 residents of Bilbao attended a preopening outside the museum on the night preceding the official opening, featuring an outdoor light show and concerts. On Oct. 18, 1997 the museum was opened by Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Frank Gehry is the architect, and its director, Thomas Krens, encouraged him to design something daring and innovative. The curves on the exterior of the building were intended to appear random; the architect said that “the randomness of the curves are designed to catch the light.” The interior “is designed around a large, light-filled atrium with views of Bilbao’s estuary and the surrounding hills of the Basque country.” The atrium, which Gehry nicknamed The Flower because of its shape, serves as the organizing center of the museum.

When the museum opened it was immediately hailed as one of the world’s most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism, a masterpiece of the 20th century. The museum notably houses “large-scale, site-specific works and installations by contemporary artists, such as Richard Serra’s 340-foot-long Snake, and displays the work of Basque artists, “as well as housing a selection of works” from the Foundation’s modern art collection.

In 1997, the museum opened with  a 300-piece overview of 20th-century art from Cubism to new media art. The exhibitions change often; the museum generally hosts thematic exhibitions, centered for example on Chinese or Russian art. Traditional paintings and sculptures are a minority compared to installations and electronic forms. The highlight of the collection, and its only permanent exhibit, is The Matter of Time (also referred to as Snake), a series of weathering steel sculptures designed by Serra, which is housed in the 430-foot Arcelor Gallery. The collections usually highlight avant-garde art, 20th century abstraction, and non-objective art.

Last week’s question: Who is the Catalan architect whose distinctive style is characterized by freedom of form, voluptuous color, and texture, and organic unity, seen in his iconic works like “Sagrada Familia?”

Answer: Antonio Gaudi

Winner: Jessica Santos of Bulacan

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