41
BIENNIAL REPORT 2009–2010
BIENNIAL REPORT 2009–2010
Introduction
2009 and 2010 were undoubtedly difficult years, and not just in purely economic or financial terms; we are living in a time of
change and transformation, and consequently we must adapt to new situations and anticipate each new development.
Given this situation, we have reexamined and updated some of our operating procedures and made a serious commitment to
new technology, seeking new ways of communicating and projecting our image that will help us achieve our Mission and keep
the Museum on the cutting edge of our contemporary reality. One of the most obvious examples is the fact that we have
chosen to publish this report on our corporate website instead of producing the usual printed publication; another is making
online social networks an integral part of our working method. Our presence and activity on the internet’s leading forums has
allowed us to connect with a broad cross-section of the global population, keep them updated and interact with them on a
different level.
Considering the adverse circumstances, the overall result of our efforts over the last two years is quite positive, as evidenced in
each of the areas addressed here: the art and educational programs, the development of the Bilbao Collection, the rate of self-
financing achieved, visitor figures or the figures for the different member categories. The projection of the Museum’s image,
the impact that our activity has on the local economy, the Museum’s remarkable presence in the media, professional, and
public forums, and the awards and certifications received all testify to the pace of our activity and growth.
We will continue to work with responsibility, effort, creativity, dedication, and just enough optimism to take on new projects
with both pragmatism and a healthy dose of imagination.
Juan Ignacio Vidarte, Director General
Over the past two years, 2009–2010, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has continued to carry out exhibition, educational, and
research projects, both individually and in association with other museums in the Guggenheim Network and other international
art institutions.
2009–2010 ACQUISITIONS
The Bilbao Collection has grown with the addition of new pieces: a sculpture and two drawings by Jacques Lipchitz, one of the
20th century’s greatest sculptors, and a series of sixteen large-format canvases by Georg Baselitz, a prominent European creator
of the post-World War II art scene.
Jacques Lipchitz (b. 1891, Druskininkai, Lithuania; d. 1973, Capri)
Working model for Government of the People, 1967
Plaster coated with shellac, 127 x 3.7 x 3.6 cm
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
Gift of The Jacques and Yulla Lipchitz Foundation, Inc.
Study for Variation on the Theme of the Last Embrace (Salvataggio) III, 1970–72
Blue pen on paper, 18 x 23.9 cm
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
Gift of Hanno D. Mott
Study for Variation on the Theme of the Last Embrace (Salvataggio) III, 1970–72
Blue pen on paper, 18 x 23.9 cm
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
Gift of Hanno D. Mott
Georg Baselitz (b. 1938, Deutschbaselitz, Germany)
Mrs Lenin and the Nightingale, 2008
Sixteen paintings
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm each
Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa
During the Veteran Summer two creepy uncles are scaring Mike
(Im Veteranensommer machen zwei böse Onkel Mike Angst), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Sunning and mooning in the house of Jeff and Damien
(Sonnung und Mondung im Hause von Jeff und Damien), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Jake and Dinos get caught up by history
(Jake und Dinos holt die Geschichte ein), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Lucian and Frank en plein air
(Lucian und Frank Plein-air), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
The forgotten second Congress of the Third Communist International in Moscow 1920, on the right of the picture Ralf,
next to him Jörg (Der vergessene 2. Kongress der 3. kommunistischen Internationale in Moskau 1920; rechts im Bild Ralf,
daneben Jörg), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Anselm had a vision of Mary, he saw the Madonna in a beige and blue dress, here she is only wearing a blue apron
(Anselm hatte eine arienerscheinung, er sah die Madonna in beige blauem Kleid, hier trägt sie nur eine blaue
Schürze), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Richard and John visited him on Long Island and drank too much
(Richard und John besuchten ihn auf Long Island und tranken zu viel), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Joseph chased away the Bandura player with his Stuka
(Joseph hat die Banduraspieler mit seinem Stuka vertrieben), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Tracey looks behind the sofa where she finds his drawing, or rather, what Bob had left of it
(Tracey schaut hinters Sofa und findet dort seine Zeichnung bzw. das, was Bob davon übrig lie), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Andy does more cocks than pussies
(Andy macht mehr Schwänzchen als Muschis), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Paul Mac at the Vatican, in the evening sits with Lenin on the bench and a concertina sings thank you
(Paul Mac im Vatikan, mit Lenin sitzt er abends auf der Bank und eine Ziehharmonika singt Dank), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Jonathan does not know that before the invention of penicillin experiments had been made with poisoned stamps
(Jonathan wei nicht, da es schon vor der Erfindung des Penicillins Versuche mit vergifteten Briefmarken gab), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Marcel and Maurizio are kind of similar, one might assume, the pharmacy flies higher
(Marcel und Maurizio sind sich ziemlich ähnlich, könnte man meinen, die Apotheke fliegt höher), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Brightening as a white tread, Kiki’s dream of Prague
(Hellung als weier Faden, Kikis Traum von Prag), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Sing your song Cecily, for the brother of the painters (Sing dein Lied, Cecily, für den Bruder der Maler), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Piet’s apparatus have become useless, too many tears have cauterized the mechanism
(Piets Apparate sind unbrauchbar geworden, zu viele Tränen haben die Mechanik verätzt), 2008
Oil on canvas, 300 x 250 cm
Curatorial Research
In 2009, after several years of curatorial research and editorial work, the Museum published an extensive volume on the works
in the Bilbao collection, enlisting the voices of nearly 40 internationally renowned art historians and curators, critics, and
experts as well as the Guggenheim Museums’ own curators to offer an in-depth look at the works and artists in the collection.
Through a total of 62 essays, one for each artist, the publication reflects on the 102 works which, as of late 2009, constituted
the Museum’s artistic assets and articulated the coherence and unity of both the Collection and the acquisition criteria that
have governed the Museum’s purchases since 1996.
This research and publication project was undertaken as a result of one of the Museum’s key objectives set out in its Mission
statement: to research and disseminate the works in the Bilbao Collection, and to study, document, enrich, and highlight their
value. After several years in operation, and having achieved a solid reputation as a cultural institution, an effort of this nature
was necessary in order to offer the public a bibliographic reference containing exhaustive information on the historical context
of the works and on the distinctive features of each piece and artist in the Bilbao Collection.
2009–2010 ART PROGRAM
The Art Program was remarkable in its quality and variety, with a particular emphasis on presentations of the Museum’s own
works and those in the Permanent Collection. Additionally, the Museum organized six ambitious temporary exhibitions which
addressed different periods of art history, explored relevant figures of the modern and contemporary art scene, and analyzed
traditional media and genres as well as more recent modes of expression.
As in previous years, some of these shows were the result of collaborative efforts with the Guggenheim Museums and other
international institutions, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) (©MURAKAMI), the Frank Lloyd
Wright Foundation (Frank Lloyd Wright), the Royal Academy of Arts, London (Anish Kapoor), the Fondation Beyeler in Basel
(Henri Rousseau), and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt (The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting from the Städel Museum).
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Title: Installations II: Video from the Guggenheim Collections
Dates: March 3, 2009–January 17, 2010
Galleries: 103 A, 105
Curator: Nat Trotman
No. of works: 7
No. of visitors: 845,197
Title: From Private to Public: Collections at the Guggenheim
Dates: June 26, 2009–May 2, 2010
Galleries: Third floor
Curators: Tracey Bashkoff and Megan Fontanella
No. of works: 94
No. of visitors: 746,806
Title: Selections from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection I
Dates: February 16, 2010–March 13, 2011
Galleries: 103 A and 105
Curator: Petra Joos
No. of works: 19
No. of visitors: 1,001,138
Title: Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance
Dates: November 6, 2010–March 13, 2011
Galleries: Second floor
Curators: Jennifer Blessing and Nat Trotman
No. of works: 105
No. of visitors: 281,127
TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Title: ©MURAKAMI
Dates: February 17–May 31, 2009
Galleries: Third floor
Curator: Paul Schimmel
No. of works: 114
No. of visitors: 289,230
Title: Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe
Dates: March 17–September 20, 2009
Galleries: Second floor and Atrium
Curators: Thomas Krens and Alexandra Munroe
No. of works: 50
No. of visitors: 560,518
Title: Frank Lloyd Wright
Dates: October 22, 2009–February 14, 2010
Galleries: Second floor
Curators: Thomas Krens, David van der Leer, María Nicanor, Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, Margo Stipe, Oskar Muñoz, and Mina
Marefat
No. of works: 217
No. of visitors: 243,574
Title: Robert Rauschenberg: Gluts
Dates: February 13–September 12, 2010
Galleries: 301, 302, 303, and 304
Curators: Susan Davidson and David White
No. of works: 59
No. of visitors: 582,665
Title: Anish Kapoor
Dates: March 16–October 12, 2010
Galleries: Second floor
Curator: Alexandra Munroe
No. of works: 20
No. of visitors: 601,284
Title: Henri Rousseau
Dates: May 25–September 12, 2010
Galleries: 305, 306, and 307
Curators: Philippe Büttner and Susan Davidson
No. of works: 27
No. of visitors: 334,511
Title: The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting from the Städel Museum
Dates: October 8, 2010–January 23, 2011
Galleries: Third floor
Curator: Jochen Sander
No. of works: 129
No. of visitors: 312,685
LOANS
A total of 804 works of art entered the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 2009 and 2010, loaned by the Guggenheim Network and
other institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Musée de l’Orangerie,
the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Orsay, and the MACBA-Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona. It also worked closely with
other art centers like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, and the Fondation
Beyeler in Basel to organize the Art Program’s international itinerancies during this period.
The Museum received 10 loan requests for works in the Bilbao Collection from other institutions, but only the loan of Lightning
with Stag in Its Glare by Joseph Beuys was approved, as the other nine works were already scheduled to appear in other
exhibitions. Lenders such as the Spanish Royal Family, the artist Anselm Kiefer, and the Carreras-Múgica Gallery also maintained
or established a connection with the Museum through long-term loans of their artwork. At the end of 2010, the galleries of the
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao contained a total of 24 works on loan.
CONSERVATION
Works by prominent artists such as Christian Boltanski, Daniel Buren, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons, and Juan Muñoz have been given a variety
of conservation or restoration treatments by the expert staff in the Museum’s laboratory.
RESEARCH
Research in the field of contemporary art conservation and restoration has been a fundamental activity over the past two years, made
possible largely thanks to the continuation of the research grants program begun in 2007 with the sponsorship of BBK (Bilbao Bizkaia
Kutxa).
This research pursued two main lines of work. The first involved the analysis of the creative techniques, materials, and
degradation of works by Georg Baselitz, Jacques Lipchitz, Enzo Cucchi, and Julian Schnabel in the Bilbao Collection. The most
important undertaking in this area was the research project on “Materials, altering products and development of new surface
treatments for exposed weathering steel sculptures in urban settings: Chillida in Bilbao,” carried out in association with the
University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and with funding provided by the Plan+Euskadi 09 for Technological Innovation
and Research Projects.
In the area of preventive conservation, the Museum participated in the drafting of the National Preventive Conservation Plan,
the Preventive Conservation Working Group of the GE-IIC (International Institute for Conservation, Spain Group), and the working
groups WG4: Environment and WG5: Transportation and Packing Methods within Technical Committee 346 on the Conservation
of Cultural Property, organized by the CEN (European Committee for Standardization) as part of a project to standardize cultural
heritage procedures in the European Union.
In addition, the Conservation Department of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao became a participant in the COST program, a project which
facilitates the coordination of research projects at the European level with national funding, specifically COST Action D42: Chemical
Interactions between Cultural Artefacts and Indoor Environment (EnviArt). The Museum also joined the cooperation network created by
the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research in the field of cultural heritage research.
EDUCATION
One of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s fundamental objectives is to help audiences learn about and enjoy modern and
contemporary art through an educational and cultural program which addresses the Art Program (Permanent Collection and
temporary exhibitions), the architecture of the Museum, other artistic disciplines, and art and culture in general.
The pillars of this program are participation, collaboration, transformation, and reaching out to a broad, diverse audience, from
schoolchildren and families to disadvantaged collectives, university students, teens, the art community, Museum Members, and
the general public. In addition, we recently changed the didactic focus of the educational programs, which are now based on the
inclusion of transversal themes and new artistic disciplines. BBK (Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa) continues to sponsor a high percentage of
these programs.
The application and use of new technologies and resources in the field of art education and appreciation has resulted in a higher
level of participation in the more than fifty educational programs organized by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, with a total of
1,296,301 participants in 2009–10. In this respect, some of the most popular novelties with participants were our new online
resources, such as the new search engine for educators and the didactic tool WikiEducators, an online space where teaching
professionals can share their knowledge and experiences in the field of art education.
Collectives 2009–2010 Beneficiaries Programs
Schoolchildren 64,355 14, including workshop-tours, tours with
hands-on activities, guided tours, art and technology tours, orientation sessions, free admission, and educational materials (in Basque, Spanish, English, and French)
Educators Participative training programs Downloads of resources and materials WikiEducators
149,099
6
Undergraduate and graduate students (internships)
125
1
Families Participative activities Downloads and delivery of materials
95,420
10
Museum Members and general public
987,302
20
Total
1,296,301
51
2009–2010 NOTEWORTHY ACTIVITIES
Zero Espazioa
On June 18, 2010, the Museum inaugurated Zero Espazioa, an innovative project included in the Strategic Plan and designed as
an interactive, participative space where visitors can get to know the Museum better.
Zero Espazioa is a room equipped with technological resources, user-friendly applications, and a bibliographic collection of
catalogues and magazines about the Art Program, the Bilbao Collection and the Permanent Collection of the Guggenheim
Museums. This area, which can be reached from the Museum vestibule, consists of two spaces:
- The Guideline Area, with information that is useful for planning a satisfactory visitor experience:
• Exhibitions, programs, and recommended activities; educational services and resources available during the visit;
videos about the history of the Guggenheim Bilbao project, the Museum’s architecture and the Guggenheim Network.
• Printable routes with different durations and contents that the visitor can choose from based on his/her interests,
schedule, and needs.
• Games like Rethinking My Route, which allows visitors to record their personal experience at the Museum and view
the experiences of others.
- The In-Depth Area, which offers:
• Detailed information about the exhibitions
• Research on the Bilbao Collection
• Images of the “naked” spaces of the Museum building designed by Frank Gehry
• Activities like Sparking Curiosity or games involving questions about or interest in any aspect of the Art Program or the
building.
San Sebastián-born artist Maider López worked closely with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to develop the idea for this
project, which received funding through the Avanza Plan of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and Trade.
Schoolchildren and educators
Students and teachers continued to be a primary focus of the Museum’s educational objectives and programming. Since the
Museum first opened, a total of 361,292 schoolchildren and 280,093 educators have taken part in educational programs
designed specifically for them. The program offers different types of tours (workshop, with hands-on activity, guided, art and
technology), orientation sessions, free admission, and educational materials in Spanish, Basque, English, and French, given that
an important percentage of students come from outside the Basque Country, especially from France. In addition, since the
Museum opened over 850 university students have had their first job experience at the Museum.
Learning Through Art
The educational program Learning Through Art celebrated its 13th anniversary in the Basque Country in 2010. Participants in
the program over the last two years included artists Elssie Ansareo, Nadia Barkate, Naia del Castillo, Ibon Garagarza, Iñaki
Gracenea, Maider López, Joxerra Melguizo, Manu Muniategiandikoetxea, and Jorge Rubio, together with the teachers at the
different schools and the Museum’s educators.
As in the past, each year one of the schools participated in an exchange with an elementary school class at PS 86 in the Bronx,
New York, in order to facilitate and encourage cross-cultural interaction among schoolchildren. The program’s annual
exhibitions for the 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 school years were held from June 17 to August 31, 2009, and from June 15 to
September 5, 2010.
General Public
The activities organized for the general public have addressed a wide variety of themes and fields, with the presence and
participation of individuals from a number of different disciplines:
Conversations with artists and curators:
o February 17, 2009: Takashi Murakami with Paul Schimmel
o March 2, 2009: Mariko Mori with Nat Trotman
o March 12, 2009: Cai Guo-Qiang with Alexandra Munroe
o March 16, 2010: Anish Kapoor with Jean de Loisy and Alexandra Munroe
Multidisciplinary Lectures about the Art Program, with the participation of people from many different fields, such as Tetsuda
Kaida (Toyota), Ricardo Sanz (chef), Luis Vallejo (landscape architect), Monserrat Villar Martín (astronomer), Richard Armstrong
(Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation) (video), Philip Rylands (Director of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection)
(video), Javier Salazar (architect and president of the Basque-Navarre Official Architects Association/Bizkaia Branch), Karole Vail
(Assistant Curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), Carles Guerra (Director of the La Virreina Centre de la Imatge,
Barcelona), Jochen Sander (Deputy Director and Curator at the Städel Museum), Mieke Bal (cultural theorist and critic), and
Quim Casas (film critic).
Pecha Kucha Night
This activity, organized in connection with the exhibition ©MURAKAMI, took place on May 15, 2009, and featured the
participation of the founder of Pecha Kucha, architect Mark Dytham.
Asian Art Council
This forum of experts on contemporary Asian art held a meeting in early June 2009 on the occasion of the shows dedicated to
Takashi Murakami and Cai Guo-Qiang in 2009.
Film cycles revolving around themes such as:
- March 4–8, 2009: The Relationship between Art and Film, produced by Xcéntric and the CCCB
- September 22–27, 2009: Backwash: The Cutting Edge of French Cinema in collaboration with the Donostia-San Sebastián
International Film Festival
- October 26–31, 2009: Frank Lloyd Wright, Life and Work, organized in collaboration with the Milano Doc Festival
- September 22–23, 2010: monograph on Don Siegel, in collaboration with the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film
Festival
Scent Opera
October 6, 2009: Premiere in Spain of Green Aria, an experimental performance created by Stewart Matthew in cooperation
with the famed fragrance designer Christophe Laudamiel, in which the senses of hearing and smell play a starring role. The
Museum organized an entire program of lectures, screenings, and round tables on the theme of scent to accompany this new
form of artistic expression.
29th BBK Festival of Contemporary Music
Courses and workshops, such as the Architecture and Environment photography contest and the photography workshop for
young people given by artist Elssie Ansareo.
Art and Creativity Art and Culture Symposiums
Courses organized by the Museum in association with the Fine Arts Department of the University of the Basque Country
(UPV/EHU):
June 25–26, 2009: Art and Creativity III–Narratives in Contemporary Art, with the participation of artists like Francesc
Torres and Jac Leiner, Rika Burnham (Head of Education of The Frick Collection) and the ZEMOS 98 collective, among
others.
June 23–24, 2010: Art and Creativity IV–Perceive, Think, Feel, with the participation of artist Elssie Ansareo, futurist
activist Ixiar García, vine-grower Telmo Rodríguez, professor of Art and Education in the Education and Psychology
Department of the University of Girona, Roser Juanola, and research projects coordinator at Zurich University of the Arts
(ZHdK), Bernadett Settele, among others.
Performance: Mem-BrainStrata 1
Performance given by experimental artist María Donata D’Urso on March 11, 2010.
Creative Processes and Works & Process at the Guggenheim
With Eric and Mary Ross Ultimedia Concept on November 12, 2009, and Ballet Stars, featuring renowned dancers from the New
York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Royal Danish Ballet on July 27, 2009.
Ruido Bajito Concert/Performance
By Víctor Coyote and Javier Santos, held on November 25, 2010, in collaboration with the Bilbao–Vitoria-Gasteiz International
Experimental Art Festival, MEM.
Activities for Families
Over the last two years, 95,420 people have participated in activities conceived and designed specifically for families, such as
the Puppy workshops, the Spider workshops, guided tours and workshop-tours, summer workshops for children of Museum
Members, special Christmas programs, puppet shows, children’s workshops, and creative games about the five senses and
nutrition, and new online resources for families like the interactive games for kids The Steel Laboratory, Did You Know That…?
and Artipuzzles.
Social Programs and Accessibility
As an expression of its commitment to disadvantaged sectors of society and to accessibility, the Museum has continued to
organize tours for people with hearing, visual, or mental impairments designed specifically for each occasion, and audio guides
were provided for everyone who needed them. Other highlights include the activities for children being treated at the hospitals
of Cruces and Basurto, guided tours for seniors, and the Museum’s volunteer program which offered talks and workshops at
senior citizens’ and women’s associations, drug rehabilitation centers, and immigrants’ associations.
DIDAKTIKA
As part of the DIDAKTIKA project, eleven different educational spaces have been designed and equipped with essential tools
and resources for enhancing the experience of visiting the exhibitions in the Museum’s Art Program.
VISITORS
Nearly two million people visited the Museum in 2009 and 2010. Seasonal fluctuations remain a constant, with spikes in visitor
numbers during the summer months, long weekends, and other holiday periods. In addition, exhibitions like Anish Kapoor and
Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe aroused a great deal of interest, becoming the fifth and tenth most visited exhibitions in the
history of the Museum.
With regard to place of origin, 38.5% of visitors came from within Spain and the remaining 61.5% from other countries,
continuing with the trend of previous years. It is worth noting that visitors asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the
experience at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao gave an average score of 8.2 out of 10.
2009–2010 NOTEWORTHY ACTIVITIES
In order to improve the quality of the visitor experience, during this period, audio guides were provided with each admission
ticket and the old ones were replaced with new, improved devices that offer images, videos, and recommendations. The new
devices are also smaller and lighter, making them easier for visitors to use.
Additionally, buying tickets in advance was made easier with the incorporation of new purchasing systems on the internet, on
our website, and by phone, which allow visitors to bypass the admission desk and enter the Museum directly.
New collaboration agreements were also signed with public institutions and organizations to offer distinctive activities that give
us access to different types of audiences, such as the Basque Government (Culture Pass), the Provincial Council of Biscay
(Barrutik Museum Program), Iberdrola, BBVA, and Renfe. In addition, the Museum continues to participate in tourism fairs like
FITUR and offer package deals through major travel and tourism agencies.
Finally, in addition to the now traditional Guggenheim Bilbao Nights, other initiatives targeting young audiences were
consolidated, such as the nocturnal art-and-music program Art After Dark which allows participants to enter the Museum and
tour the exhibitions in a different context one Friday each month. In order to keep this activity fresh and appealing, the Museum
regularly arranges performances by widely-known artists, such as The Mexican Acid Queen "ALASKA" and Las Tipazo
(Ojospintados and Madel) on January 23, 2009, or Romy & Michelle DJs (Bimba Bosé and David Delfín) + Tom Clark + Arne Ö
on January 15, 2010. Over the past two years, Art After Dark has attracted nearly 15,000 people to the Museum.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
At the close of 2010, the number of Individual Members was higher than it has ever been in the Museum’s 13 years of activity.
This program has shown a trend of steady growth over the years and now boasts nearly 16,600 Members.
2009–2010 NOVELTIES
During this period, Individual Members have been able to sign up, cancel their membership, edit their personal details, and
apply for new membership cards directly at the Museum’s Information desk, thus avoiding delays and obtaining immediate
solutions to their needs and concerns. Membership benefits have also evolved at the same pace as their demands.
Our quest to improve the degree of satisfaction with Museum visits among Individual Members led us to offer a new perk: free,
exclusive guided tours. Other benefits include the Lagunartean lunch and tour dates each Thursday and the exclusive sneak-
preview tours for International Members offered by the curator of each exhibition. In total, over 1,500 Members have
participated in the different types of guided tours offered by the Museum.
The high percentage of Family Members in this group, accounting 42%, means that we must pay special attention to our
youngest visitors. The Museum strives to introduce them to the world of art and get them involved in what happens there,
thus reaffirming its educational mission. To this end, in 2010 a new card was introduced for the children of Family Members
which allows teens over age 13 to visit the Museum unaccompanied and free of charge.
2009–2010 NOTEWORTHY ACTIVITIES
In addition to the wide variety of educational activities for the general public, Museum Members also have access to exclusive
workshops and activities for children between the ages of 4 and 10 year-round, with a special emphasis on school vacation
periods, such as the two summer and Christmas workshops.
The Open House days of the past two years, designed with our youngest visitors in mind, have featured numerous tours and
shows like Moma, offered by Factoría de Teatro, which introduced kids to major painters such as Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and
Marc Chagall in a more entertaining way (2009), or the performance given by the Galician contemporary dance company
Experimentadanza, a fusion of theater-dance and modern art entitled Playing with Art that was held in 2010.
In connection with the 2009 exhibitions featuring two major contemporary Asian artists, Takashi Murakami and Cai Guo-Qiang,
adult workshops on Oriental culture were offered to Museum Members, where they learned some of the traditional art forms
of the Far East such as Chinese calligraphy, origami, sushi preparation, and ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement).
Trips to New York, Tokyo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Maastricht, and the Principality of Asturias, among other destinations, were
also organized for Individual Members to show them the reality of contemporary artistic creation in museums, artists’ studios,
private collections, and art fairs.
Finally, and thanks to the Museum’s excellent relationship with the artists represented in the Bilbao Collection, another special
edition for Members was arranged. On this occasion, the object was a graphic work produced by the San Sebastián-born artist
Cristina Iglesias, the latest contributor to a collecting program that has been in place since 2002 and has featured the
participation of artists like Manolo Valdés, Miquel Navarro, Jesús Mari Lazkano, Juan Luis Moraza, and James Rosenquist.
CORPORATE MEMBERS
At the end of 2010, a total of 126 companies and institutions were signed up in the different categories of the Corporate
Members Program: Strategic Trustees, Trustees, Corporate and Media Benefactors, and Associate Members. Despite the
financial difficulties imposed by the recession, the membership renewal rate has remained quite stable, although the number of
new members was lower than in previous years.
In 2009–2010, the Museum’s Strategic Trustees—BBK, BBVA, Iberdrola, and ArcelorMittal—again played a starring role with
their sponsorship of specific exhibitions or activities. Other forms of collaboration and sponsorship, some of which were
provided in kind, allowed us to offer the products or services of Corporate Members to different types of Museum customers,
such as guests at events, Individual Members, or contest participants.
2009–2010 SPONSORSHIP OF EXHIBITIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Exhibition / Program / Activity Sponsors Collaborators
The Matter of Time ArcelorMittal
©MURAKAMI Seguros Bilbao-Fundación Serra
Gagosian Gallery
Gallerie Emmanuel Perrotin
Blum & Poe Gallery
Toyota
Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe BBVA Shiseido
Learning Through Art BBK
Frank Lloyd Wright Iberdrola Samsung
Anish Kapoor Iberdrola
Henri Rousseau la Sexta
G.H. MUMM
Señorío de Olivenza
Ysios (Bodegas Domecq)
The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting from the
Städel Museum
Fundación BBVA
Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance
López de Heredia Viña Tondonia
Señorío de Olivenza
Cacao Sampaka
Educational activities BBK
Fundación Vizcaína Aguirre
Research grants BBK
Volunteers Program BBK
WikiEducators BBK
Business Filmforum 2009
“la Caixa”
Adecco
Ysios (Bodegas Domecq)
Exhibition / Program / Activity Sponsors Collaborators
Business Filmforum 2010 Adecco
Ferroser
Deusto Business School
Ysios (Bodegas Domecq)
Guggenheim Bilbao Nights
BBK Grupo Eulen
Stars of the New York City Ballet Hotel Meliá Bilbao
Architecture and Environment photography contest Samsung
Open House 2009 Norbega
Illycaffè
Iberia
Open House 2010 Norbega
Illycaffè
Brussels Airlines
Belgian Tourist Office
NH Hotel Chain
Annual Gala 2010
Grupo IXO
G.H. MUMM
Imprenta Berekintza
Ysios (Bodegas Domecq)
Pernod Ricard
Norbega S.A./Fundación Coca-Cola España
2009 & 2010 Christmas activities for children Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia/Provincial Council of Biscay
Visitor services
Prosegur
VIP Lounge
Samsung
Global
Illycaffè
©MURAKAMI display window design campaign Bilbao’s Old Town Shop Owners’ Association
SPECIAL EVENTS
In 2009–2010 the Museum hosted more than 200 events (social gatherings, such as receptions and dinners held in the
Museum’s Atrium and Vestibule, professional meetings and presentations in the Auditorium, and lesser events held in the
Education Room or the Library).
Since June 2010, the Museum also has two new spaces: Zero Espazioa and the VIP Lounge. During opening hours, Zero
Espazioa is an orientation room where visitors can plan their tour of the Museum, and the VIP Lounge is where we welcome
our most distinguished visitors. However, these new spaces can also be used to host meetings and events organized by the
Museum itself or by its Corporate Members.
IMPACT
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
The communications and marketing strategy followed during this period has allowed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to
consolidate its brand image, reinforce its status as an “innovative, trend-setting” institution, and achieve the highest possible
publicity and impact, conveying an image of quality and excellence through advertising and informative channels and initiatives.
Over the course of 2009 and 2010, the Museum has been a news item nearly 34,600 times, which testifies to the tremendous
interest in its activities both in Spain and abroad and to its consolidated status as one of the world’s leading cultural institutions.
This media presence has an advertising value of approximately eighty million euros.
Number of Mentions 2009 2010
International press 4,532 5,536
Spanish press 5,395 6,759
Spanish TV 345 452
Spanish radio 469 687
Spanish internet 3,686 6,717
Website hits 958,702 1,091,253
Pages viewed 4,747,380 4,809,620
Press room hits 569 606
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s commitment to creating a high-quality Art and Acquisitions Program has been a key factor in
the steady increase of the Museum’s media presence over the last two years. In 2009, two major temporary exhibitions
featuring Asian art, ©MURAKAMI and Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe, attracted significant media attention and received wide
coverage at the local, national, and international levels. In 2010, a contemporary show and a classical exhibition, Anish Kapoor
and The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting from the Städel Museum, were the primary focuses of the media’s interest.
In order to obtain better coverage and publicity for the Art Program in the international media, in the past two years we
coordinated a number of public relations initiatives in countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Japan,
and China. As a result, the exhibitions received an international coverage of 30% in leading media like La Tribune, Die Welt, The
Wall Street Journal, the CTI TV Incorporation, and the Xinhua Agency.
The acquisition in 2010 of the 16-canvas series Mrs Lenin and the Nightingale by Georg Baselitz was also widely covered by the
Spanish and international press, obtaining headlines in Le Journal des Arts, The International Herald Tribune, and Süddeutsche
Zeitung, among others.
The marketing strategies implemented to publicize the exhibitions of the last two years in the printed press, radio, television,
the internet, and outdoor and mobile advertising formats also had a significant impact, helping the Museum achieve its goals
even in the midst of a global recession. These campaigns won awards at several prestigious advertising festivals, which further
increased public awareness and recognition of the Museum (see Awards section in this report).
In addition to the temporary exhibitions, the parallel activities organized by the Museum and the creation of new spaces over
the past two years have also received their share of media attention. The Scent Opera’s novel performance format was a news
item on numerous occasions in 2009, and in 2010 the inauguration of the innovative Zero Espazioa orientation room and the
participation of David Delfín and Bimba Bosé in the Art After Dark program sparked intense media interest.
Meanwhile, the Museum website, which acquired new features each year, received nearly one million hits in 2009 and more
than one million in 2010.
Finally, the Museum created accounts on several social networks in order to increase the level of interaction with its different
audiences. In just one year, the Museum has attracted over 16,000 Facebook fans and has established a presence on YouTube,
Tuenti, Flickr, and MySpace.
STORE/BOOKSTORE
During this two-year period, efforts in the Store/Bookstore focused on increasing the number of customers and the gross profits
made on retail transactions. In this respect, particular attention was given to the Art Program, designing or ordering products
that were specifically associated with the temporary exhibitions.
Thus, for ©MURAKAMI the Museum ordered a number of items from the artist’s catalogue, most notably copies of his signed
and numbered limited-edition graphic work. Exclusive products were designed for the show dedicated to Cai Guo-Qiang under
the artist’s supervision, and for Frank Lloyd Wright the catalogue of products was expanded to include a number of articles
based on the architect’s designs. Finally, a special agreement was reached with BVLGARI whereby the Museum Store was
granted exclusive authorization to sell a ring designed by Anish Kapoor, which was available to the public for the duration of the
exhibition in 2010. Thanks to these initiatives and careful daily purchasing management, the Store achieved an annual stock
replacement rate of nearly 50%.
Finally, significant progress was made in terms of renewing stock, with the highlight being the creation of a new jewelry
collection inspired by the forms of the Museum building, and in improving customer service thanks to updates to the computer
system which have expedited sales transactions and made it easier for the staff to provide customers with information while
shopping.
PUBLICATIONS
A total of twelve different volumes on the Art Program, the Bilbao Collection, and the activities of the Guggenheim Museum
Bilbao were published in 2009 and 2010, which adds up to nearly 3,500 pages published.
Exhibition catalogue for ©MURAKAMI, Spanish edition [328 pages]
Exhibition catalogue for Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe, Spanish edition. In this case, the artist designed the flyleaves
and the cover illustration especially for the Spanish-language catalogue [324 pages]
2007–2008 Biennial Report in two bilingual editions (Spanish-Basque and Spanish-English). In this case, the report included
the Strategic Plan for the 2009–2012 four-year period with an outline of the Museum’s long-term vision for the year 2020
[208 pages each]
Exhibition catalogue for Frank Lloyd Wright, Spanish edition [360 pages]
Exhibition catalogue for Robert Rauschenberg: Gluts, expanded Spanish language edition [140 pages]
Exhibition catalogue for Anish Kapoor, Spanish edition with images of the installation at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,
special edition with two posters [190 pages]
Exhibition catalogue for Henri Rousseau, Spanish edition [120 pages]
Exhibition catalogue for The Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish Painting from the Städel Museum, Spanish language edition
[306 pages]
Exhibition catalogue for Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance, Spanish edition [212 pages]
Special mention must be made of the volumes Colección del Museo Guggenheim Bilbao and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Collection, the first publication about the Bilbao artistic holdings to be published in separate Spanish and English editions.
To produce it, the Museum teamed up with TF Editores and recruited 40 highly respected art historians and conservators,
critics, and experts from around the globe who, together with the Guggenheim Museums’ own curators, filled over 500
pages with their reflections on the artists and works in the Bilbao Collection.
This publication, the product of intense research and editorial work, provides a wealth of information about the works,
articulates the unity and coherence of the collection and the acquisition criteria which has governed the Museum’s
purchases since 1996, and constitutes the leading reference text on every piece in the Guggenheim Bilbao Collection.
The publication received significant media attention, largely thanks to the public launch during the ARCO Contemporary
Art Fair by the Museum’s Director General, Juan Ignacio Vidarte, and the renowned critic and university professor
Francisco Calvo-Serraller, held at the Ivorypress headquarters in February 2010.
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
In 2009 and 2010, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao received the following awards and distinctions:
EFR (Family-Friendly Organization) certification in equality and work-family balance, AENOR/Fundación Másfamilia,
2009
Award for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao website as one of the best websites of the last twenty years, Spanish
Ministry of Industry, 2009
International Protocol Award, 2009
Bilbainía Award, 21st Century Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals, 2009
APCP Award (Advertising Film Producers Association) for the Surreal Things TV commercial, Montgomery Kent Award,
2009
Bronze at the international FIAP (Ibero-American Advertising Festival) Awards for the radio slot on the film series
organized in association with the Surreal Things exhibition, 2009
Bronze at the international FIAP (Ibero-American Advertising Festival) Awards for the Surreal Things TV commercial,
2009
World’s best museum according to TNT Magazine (United Kingdom), 2010
World’s most iconic building according to CNN viewers, 2010
Greatest building of the last 30 years according to a survey of 52 international architects and architecture critics by
Vanity Fair magazine (USA), 2010
Bronze at the BestPack Awards for the ©MURAKAMI exhibition’s publicity campaign, 2010
Bronze, Laus Awards, for the ©MURAKAMI exhibition’s publicity campaign, 2010
PARTICIPATION IN FORUMS
Over the past two years, the Museum has maintained its active involvement in multidisciplinary forums which represent an
opportunity to present its particular management model and work with other museum institutions to develop a mutually
beneficial system of intellectual exchange. The most important forums of 2009–2010 were organized by:
The Royal Academy of Spain in Rome
The Cervantes Institute, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, and the Ministry of Culture at the
Menéndez-Pelayo International University summer courses
The two editions of the Creative Leadership Summit organized by the Louise Blouin Foundation in New York
The Museum also hosted international conferences and seminars for professionals in the field of art and culture:
Second meeting of the Asian Art Council (May 31–June 2, 2009) with the participation of international experts, curators,
artists, and collectors from Asia, Europe, and the USA
6th ICOM International Conference on Museography Today (June 17–20, 2010)
VIP VISITORS
In 2009 and 2010 the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao received a total of 301 VIP visitors, 96% of which came from outside the
Basque Country and 73% from outside Spain.
Prominent figures from such diverse arenas as the arts and culture, the business world, politics, and the entertainment industry
have stopped by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao over the past two years. Among these distinguished visitors were the
architects Jean Nouvel and Renzo Piano, Nobel Prize winners Francoise Barré-Sinoussi (2008 laureate in Medicine) and Mario
Vargas Llosa (2010 laureate in Literature), and David Julius, winner of the 2010 Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and
Scientific Research.
The Museum also welcomed representatives of the business community such as Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of ArcelorMittal,
and José María Vilas, chairman of Unilever, and government leaders such as José Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the
European Commission, Ángeles González-Sinde, Spanish Minister of Culture, Francisco Santos, Vice-President of Colombia,
and the Chilean Ministers of Finance and Agriculture, Hugo Lavados and Marigen Hornkohl.
Our list of illustrious visitors also included celebrities from the entertainment and music industries like Barbra Streisand,
Paulina Rubio, dancer Julio Bocca, Chinese composer Tan Dun, and actors James Brolin, Terry Gilliam, Olivia Williams, Jeanne
Moreau, Vanessa Redgrave, and Ian McKellen.
2009–2010 ECONOMIC IMPACT
The update of the model used to evaluate the Museum’s economic impact in 2009 and 2010 yielded the following information:
- Total direct expenditure generated by the Museum’s activity in the Basque Country in 2009 and 2010 amounted to
417,432,346 euros, which translates into an average expenditure of 224 euros per visitor. The total direct expenditure is
calculated by adding up the following:
o 361,888,769 euros corresponding to expenditure outside the Museum facilities, according to the spending
profile determined in visitor surveys. The sectors analyzed were:
Catering: 164,164,833 euros in restaurants, bars, and cafeterias/coffee shops.
Shopping: 52,616,531 euros in shops and stores.
Lodging: 82,088,192 in hotels, guesthouses, and other accommodations.
Transportation: 24,171,959 euros in car rentals, gas, tickets, etc.
Leisure: 38,847,254 euros in cinemas, theaters, visits to other museums, etc.
o 55,543,577 euros corresponding to expenditure on the Museum premises and on other activities related to its
operation (visitors, Museum Store/Bookstore, restaurant, Corporate and Individual Members, those deriving
from the organization of special events, subsidies, etc.)
Therefore, taking into account all direct, indirect, and induced effects, the activities of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 2009
and 2010 have generated a wealth of 378,804,957 euros in GDP and an additional 51,589,447 euros in revenue for the Basque
Treasury, and they have also helped to maintain an average of 3,774 jobs over the last two years.
Euros Oct–Dec 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Impact
Direct expenditure 40,568,317 190,400,635 202,799,514 191,903,165 149,724,135 143,706,595 153,745,225 163,711,085
GDP generated 31,517,075 147,921,099 157,555,323 149,087,063 168,331,470 162,327,827 173,089,191 184,046,738
Jobs (1) 832 3,906 4,161 3,937 4,415 4,265 4,547 4,842
Treasury revenue 5,871,888 27,562,415 29,359,441 27,784,790 26,949,383 25,988,685 27,711,580 29,465,882
Euros 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 TOTAL
Impact
Direct expenditure 165,835,281 233,621,942 242,986,389 231,788,989 204,506,729 212,925,617 2,528,223,618
GDP generated 186,197,551 211,633,296 220,240,289 210,072,873 185,576,062 193,228,895 2,380,824,752
Jobs (1) 4,893 4,232 4,399 4,196 3,695 3,853 4,253
Treasury revenue 29,810,227 28,822,339 29,994,526 28,609,825 25,273,604 26,315,843 369,520,428
(1) These figures reflect the Museum’s contribution to preserving jobs, not the creation of new job positions.
HUMAN RESOURCES AND QUALITY
A new Strategic Plan for Human Resources (SPHR) was drawn up in 2009–2010 with the aim of training and equipping the
Museum staff with the skills they need to achieve the objectives of the 2009–2012 Strategic Plan. The SPHR calls for action in
five main areas, and some of the concrete initiatives launched over the past two years are as follows:
Organization, encouraging job rotation to improve the employability and motivation of our staff members.
Competence-based management, updating the catalogue of necessary competences based on the new profile of the
Strategic Plan, adapting the performance evaluation system to the Museum’s new standards and requirements, and
drafting the 2009–2012 Training Plan.
Working conditions, approving the Collective Bargaining Agreement until 2012; achieving EFR 1000-2 Certification, which
acknowledges the Museum’s systematic, methodological application of policies to help employees achieve work-life
balance; evaluating the current situation in terms of equality in order to draw up the corresponding plan; and
collaborating with Fundación PROSEGUR to facilitate better job opportunities for disabled persons.
Communication, completing a work environment survey to identify areas that need improvement and preparing an
internal communication project with an improvement team of staff volunteers.
Leadership, approving the ideal executive profile after identifying key competences.
2009 AND 2010 ECONOMIC FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following section contains economic and financial information for 2009 and 2010. During this period the level of self-
financing was around 66%, reconfirming the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao as one of the most financially autonomous cultural
institutions.
