Frank Gehry designed the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, opened in Spain in 1997.
The museum stands beside the Nervión River in Bilbao and is part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation's network of museums. Gehry's design uses sweeping, irregular forms clad largely in titanium, limestone, and glass, creating a building that resembles neither a traditional gallery nor a simple geometric block.
The museum opened on 18 October 1997. Its arrival helped drive major cultural and urban redevelopment in Bilbao, a phenomenon widely called the “Bilbao effect,” in which a striking cultural building attracts visitors and stimulates regeneration.
The museum's collection focuses on modern and contemporary art, while its architecture is itself a major attraction. It is sometimes confused with New York's Guggenheim Museum, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.