« In Which I Ride the Perfect Road | Home | In Which I Confess, And Mooch, And Catch My Breath »
In Which I Do The Museum Thing
September 11, 2007 by Mike
Bilbao
Route: Gernika - Bilbao
I better get this out of the way first: Bilbao is the Spanish name of the city. In Basque, it's Bilbo. I can't bring myself to call it Bilbo.
Today is a tale of two museums. In the morning, the Peace Museum in Gernika. With the weight of history on their shoulders, they do a decent job of deconstructing peace in various contexts. The most moving section deals with the day of the bombing here. They don't shy away from the current threat to peace in the Basque Country.. both ETA and the, err, 'robust' interventions of the state's military and police forces, but there's been less time, perhaps, to address terrorism post-9/11.
For a temporary exhibition, some of Picasso's preliminary sketches and characterisations for Guernica have been moved here. I'm afraid that, by the time you read this, they'll be back in Madrid. It doesn't make any sense to me. The painting belongs here.
.. and in the afternoon, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbo -- I mean, Bilbao. (A very pleasant ride from G to B, not least being able to see (and pass straight through) the shattered, bleak industrial wasteland of Bilbao's northern suburbs.)
Well now, here I am at the most beautiful building in the world to see one of the great museums. Right? I can answer the second bit easily enough - this is not even a good museum - over half the galleries are closed for a major overhaul, leaving a celebration of Basque art and a couple of installations so huge they never get moved. This is BIG ART so it must be good. Hmmmm.
It's impossible to view anything out of context, and in this case the context is the building -- a considerably greater work of art than anything it was built to contain. That's always going to be a problem for its curators. Maybe they should just sling all the 'art'? It won't stop people coming to see the building. It's worth seeing. And then.. you go away again, having seen 'the most beautiful building in the world'.. and you are reminded that last autumn you saw 'the ugliest building in the world'.. and it's all part of this big adventure you're on.. and you smile at another circle being unbroken.
(That one's for you, Kathy.)
Bilbao has the most complicated one-way system in the universe. Some of the roads I took were attractive. Some were dull. Several got quite familiar to me as I tried and tried and tried to get to the Youth Hostel. I was old by the time I got there.
Comments
By Mike With | September 26, 2007 2:38 PM
Kathy .. you missed the Carter Family reference which was *just for you*!
By karen With | September 26, 2007 8:26 PM
Have just read to Pat and Ma - Dad asleep but I think some of it has gorn in!!! Pat facinated that you sleep sometimes in a hammock and said u must look out for a tree - two trees as ma pointed out - she is still with it! KC sis
Leave your comment
Latest comments
- By robert and peter in Diary
- By Wayne in Diary
- By Boris in Diary
- By Sandy from Leeds in Diary
- By Sascha in Diary
- By clive marie goldwing in Diary
- By carlos pascual in Diary
- By Erkut Dora in Diary
- By david gwilliam in Diary
- By Nick in Diary
- By Mike Bowyer in Diary
- By Dick With in Diary
- By Gordon in Diary
- By KC in Diary
- By steve in Diary
- By Mike in Diary
- By Sascha in Diary
- By P Dawson in Diary
- By Mike in Diary
- By Helen in Diary
- By Mike in Diary
- By KC in Diary
- By Sergiu in Diary
By Kathy | September 25, 2007 12:33 AM
yeee haaa! he's got his history pants back on.
bravo! bravo! encore!
K x