Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Bilbao, Spain

The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum is the second largest and most visited museum in the Basque Country, after the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum and one of the richest Spanish museums outside Madrid. It houses a valuable and quite comprehensive collection of Basque, Spanish and European art from the Middle Ages to contemporary, including paintings by old masters like El Greco, Cranach, Murillo, Goya, Van Dyck, Ruisdael and Bellotto, together with 19th century and modern: Sorolla, Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin, Henri Le Sidaner, James Ensor, Peter Blake, Francis Bacon and Richard Serra.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao was established in 1908. After moving through various venues, the final headquarters were built in 1945, in a great neoclassical building that was to undertake paths expansions in 1970 and 2001 to house the growing museum collection.

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Museums in Spain

User Reviews

Mobile Phone (16 months ago)
Wow. Amazing. We came when a lot of the museum was being reformed, but the pieces we saw were incredible. Free entry, absolutely worth a visit. Thanks to the Basque government.

Patricia Milnes (18 months ago)
Amazing structure.....both outside and inside. Prebooked tickets in advance so no queue, which I recommend. Worth the €5 entry (senior) you could easily spend a good half day there. Definitely recommend.. unique.

E. I. (2 years ago)
Absolutely delightful! The staff was incredibly friendly. I loved the collection, blending classical and modern art, including photography and at the time of my visit there was also a video installation. The ticket was free. The museum was refreshingly uncrowded, allowing for a peaceful exploration of the exhibits. Additionally, the on-site shop was a hidden gem, offering an beautifully curated books and souvenirs at surprisingly affordable prices. A must-visit!

Frans Willems (2 years ago)
Collections like these make me realise that I am very lucky to live “next door” to the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum and the Frans Hals museum… Luckily it is free.

John Kim (2 years ago)
Currently, this place is undergoing renovation/expansion. The admission is free. The current collection is not very extensive or well-known, but it is still worth a see if you are in the area. Other than couple of lesser known Picasso pieces, it is mostly lesser known and obscure Spanish modern artists and classical artists. The display itself is unique in that the classical artworks are displayed side by side with the modern artworks, creating a bit of visual tension as one peruses the museum.

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