Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum stands on Plaza del Museo in the Abando district of Bilbao, in Spain's Basque Country, beside Doña Casilda Iturrizar Park. Founded in 1908, it is one of Spain's leading fine arts museums, and its collection spans medieval and Renaissance work, the Spanish Golden Age, and modern and contemporary art. Visitors can see paintings by El Greco, Goya, Murillo and Gauguin, together with a notable group of works by Basque and Spanish artists whose names are less known abroad, such as Ignacio Zuloaga, and sculpture including works by Eduardo Chillida. The building combines the original early 20th-century museum with a later extension, and the two parts are linked so that the visit moves from older to newer art. A typical visit takes one and a half to two hours, which allows time for the highlights and a stop in the cafe. Galleries are arranged broadly by period and school, and the Basque art rooms give useful context for the region's artistic identity, which many visitors find a pleasant complement to the Guggenheim's contemporary focus. Renovation works have affected parts of the building, and one guide reports reduced galleries and free entry during that work, so visitors should check the museum's website for the current arrangement and fees. The park outside provides a good place to rest after the galleries, with a pond and gardens that make for photographs of the museum's facade. Crowds are generally lighter than at the Guggenheim, with weekday mornings the quietest period and weekends and rainy afternoons busier. The museum is normally closed on Tuesdays and open on other days, but hours can change. It is reached from Moyua metro station on a five-minute walk, so it combines easily with Azkuna Zentroa and the riverside.