Bilbao Fine Arts Museum gains new €45m Norman Foster-designed wing
Renovation expands exhibition spaces and provides new facilities as well as creating better links with its neighbour, the Guggenheim Bilbao
The industrial port city of Bilbao in northern Spain’s Basque Country will soon be home to a new €45m wing designed by renowned architect Norman Foster and his firm Foster + Partners. This expansion to the nearby Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) opens to the public on October 6th. The striking, light-flooded addition will double the museum's exhibition space, increasing it to around 6,000 sq. m, and will remodel 8,000 sq. m of existing galleries.
The new design, described as a "floating pavilion," will link the existing Neo-Classical and Modernist buildings while adding two new curved upper storeys. These upper levels will accommodate temporary exhibitions, a viewing terrace, and a restaurant with city views. The museum's original entrance in the 1945 red brick building will also be restored and reinstated.
The expansion, funded by the Basque government and other regional stakeholders, aims to reposition the museum as a key cultural destination in Bilbao and the Basque Country, complementing the nearby Guggenheim Museum. The project was chosen for its respect for the existing architecture and its innovative approach to integrating the two different architectural styles.
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