Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

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Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

Originally a joint initiative of the Diputación (Provincial Council) of Vizcaya and the Bilbao City Council, it was first mooted in 1908. The museum was finally opened to the public in 1914 and it was created as part of a more general drive to modernise turn-of-the-century Bilbao socially and culturally, and also to provide members of the local artistic community with the best possible historical models during their training. Directed by artist Manuel Losada, the new Museum was housed in what had been the city's School of Arts & Crafts.

Ten years after the inauguration of the first Museum, the desire to keep up with current developments led to the creation of a new museum devoted to modern and contemporary art. The Museum of Modern Art, housed in premises belonging to the Provincial Council and directed by the artist Aurelio Arteta, opened its doors to the public in 1924.

Shortly after the end of the Spanish Civil War, it was decided to build up a new home for both Museums, now united in a single institution known for years as the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts and Modern Art. The present-day Bilbao Fine Arts Museum was inaugurated in 1945. The building was declared a Historical and Artistic Monument in 1962. However, in the early 1960s, architects Álvaro Líbano and Ricardo Beascoa were commissioned to draw up plans for an extension as the Museum soon outgrew its original home. All in all, in 1996, under the management of Miguel Zugaza, a call for tenders was published for a Museum Refit and Extension Plan.

Notable for the lengthy period it covers -from the 12th century to the present day- an extraordinary variety of art works acquired since its inception, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum collection currently boasts more than six thousand works including paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings and objects from the decorative arts.