The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has 19 galleries.
These galleries form part of Frank Gehry’s complex museum design, which opened in 1997 beside the Nervion River. The exhibition rooms differ in shape and scale, allowing the museum to display paintings, sculpture, installations, and other forms of modern and contemporary art.
Some galleries are conventional rectangular spaces, while others are unusually large or irregularly shaped. This mixture supports both changing exhibitions and works that require substantial room. The building’s dramatic architecture is therefore closely tied to how visitors experience its collection and exhibitions.
The number 19 refers to the museum’s galleries, not to the titanium panels on its exterior, the building’s total rooms, or the number of artists represented in a particular exhibition. Bilbao’s museum is operated as part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s international network.