Past

Exhibitions

Consult everything you need to know about current and upcoming exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

Exhibitions | Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Hilma af Klint

Audio guide

Audio guide map

Opening Talk

Iberdrola

Gallery 205

The Beginnings

Spiritual Drawings, The Five (1896–1908)

Primordial Chaos (1906–07)

Eros (1907)

Gallery 206

Large Figure Paintings (1907)

Gallery 207

The Seven-Pointed Star (1908)

Evolution (1908)

Gallery 209

The Ten Largest (1907)

Gallery 203

The Dove (1915)

Altarpieces and Closing Painting (1915)

Gallery 202

The Parsifal Series and The Atom Series (1916–17)

Geometric Series and Watercolors (1920–22)

Galley 204

Tree of Knowledge (1913)

Gallery 208

The Swan (1915)

In 1906, Hilma af Klint (b. Stockholm 1862; d. 1944) embarked upon the most ambitious, ground-breaking project of her career, the Paintings for the Temple. Over nearly a decade, she created 193 paintings and drawings, many of which were like little that came before. Bold, colorful, and often untethered from references to the visible world, these works explore forces and structures that af Klint believed were hidden to the eyes. In making these works, af Klint set aside the conventions of the Swedish academic tradition, and instead looked to the scientific and the spiritual currents of her day. Incorporating ideas and imagery from these two areas, while forging her own unique artistic vocabulary, af Klint established herself a pioneer in representing the invisible.
As af Klint made her way as an artist, she was living through profound social changes, including women’s rights movements. Despite the limitations placed on women during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, af Klint was able to study at Royal Academy of Fine Arts and went on to exhibit her more traditional figurative works, but she also had to struggle to devote herself freely to art. In a context where women artists were commonly thought to be capable only of copying, not innovating, she rarely presented her more radical, abstract art publicly and struggled to find an audience who appreciated it. Undeterred, she painstakingly edited, saved, and catalogued her work so it would be preserved for future audiences, and stipulated that it not be exhibited until two decades after her death, when she believed the world would finally be ready to understand what she had produced. Ultimately, it would take even longer. Although her art was finally shown in 1986, forty-two years after her death, it would take decades more before her extraordinary legacy finally earned the recognition it deserves.
This exhibition presents a survey of the Swedish artist’s career. In addition to 110 works from the essential Paintings for the Temple, it also showcases her early more conventional creations, the automatic drawings she made with her spiritualist group The Five, her geometrically inflected series from the years after the Paintings for the Temple, and her later watercolors and sketchbooks.
Gallery: Second floor 
Curators: Tracey Bashkoff, Senior Director of Collections and Senior Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Lucía Agirre, Curator, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
 
Hilma af Klint 
Group VI, Evolution, No. 16, The WUS/Seven-Pointed Star Series 
(Grupp VI, Evolutionen, nr 16, Serie WUS/Sjustjärnan), 1908 
Oil on canvas 
102 x 133 cm 
Courtesy The Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm, HaK 84 
©The Hilma af Klint Foundation, Bilbao 2024

Spiritual beliefs and theosophy. Gateways to spiritual worlds

Scientific developments. Behind the forces of matter

Women’s voice. From the dark room to public speaking

Figurative and abstract artworks. Observation and invention

Chronology

In the Museum

Video about The Exhibition

In 1906, Hilma af Klint (b. Stockholm 1862; d. 1944) embarked upon the most ambitious, ground-breaking project of her career, the Paintings for the

Hilma af Klint | Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

3nd floor

3rd floor

This presentation of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection includes a selection of works that mark crucial moments in art history following World War II. In an ambitious gesture to underscore the resonance between art and architecture, this installation, which features some of the Collection’s most outstanding pieces, also showcases the original architecture of the building. The installation celebrates of the diaphanous and luminous spaces of the third floor of the Museum.
This exhibition is inspired both by the Museum’s holdings of singular works by artists and by historical artistic movements that are well represented in the Collection. The presentation thus highlights figures who belonged to the avant-garde of their time and whose contributions chartered new courses in post-war art history. Each gallery offers the chance to view the production of a single artist or a selection of artists who explore shared concerns from different perspectives.
Some spaces on this floor show site-specific installations or single pieces of an experiential character, like those dedicated to Sol LeWitt and El Anatsui. The work by the latter, Rising Sea, is a contemporary sculpture of great importance by the African artist, and is the latest acquisition to join the Collection. Other galleries house thematic selections on the development of abstract art after World War II, or on approaches between abstraction and spirituality, or deal with later artistic languages that developed between 1960 and 1980, such as Pop Art and the presence of popular culture in contemporary art. The displays furthermore include historic documentation on these artistic trends and the artists who contributed to them. Cette
Galleries: third floor 
Curator: Lekha Hileman Waitoller

If Walls Could Talk…

El Anatsui

Jenny Holzer

Jeff Koons

Sol Lewitt

Works from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection

This presentation of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection includes a selection of works that mark crucial moments in art history following World War

Works from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection | Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Paul Pfeiffer's artistic practice is distinguished by a profound inquiry into the nature of spectacle, identity, and the intricate mechanisms of image-making within contemporary culture. His oeuvre encompasses a diverse array of mediums, including video, photography, sculpture, and installation, which enables him to delve into the complexities of how images shape our perceptions and experiences.
At the core of Pfeiffer's work lies the manipulation of footage from sporting events, music concerts, and films, which he skillfully edits using early digital software. His creations often reflect on the dualities of veneration and objectification, particularly concerning global icons such as athletes and pop stars. This emphasis highlights the multifaceted roles these figures play within mass culture, drawing attention to the artificiality of media representations and prompting audiences to critically examine their own positions as consumers of such imagery.
Pfeiffer's installations frequently incorporate elements of scale, juxtaposing miniature and larger-than-life formats to disrupt the viewer's relationship with the artwork. This approach heightens awareness of their physical presence in relation to the spectacle. Additionally, his exploration of the architectural forms of stadiums and arenas serves as a critical lens through which he scrutinizes the collective experience of spectatorship. He reveals that these spaces transcend mere venues for entertainment; they are also arenas where societal and political identities are both defined and contested.
The exhibition Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom represents the artist's most extensive presentation in Europe, featuring approximately thirty works that span his prominent career and affirm his status as one of today's most influential artists. This exhibition, which starts in this gallery and continues in gallery 103 also located on this floor, highlights his evolution by presenting iconic pieces that draw upon the dramatic narratives of sports and religion, alongside recent works that address colonial legacies and the complexities of identity. Ultimately, this show not only celebrates Pfeiffer's era-defining contributions to contemporary art but also provides a critical framework for examining the intricate themes of identity, belonging, and the pervasive influence of celebrity culture, underscoring the relevance of his work in our media-saturated society.
Exhibition organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Galleries: 105 and 103
Paul Pfeiffer 
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (07), 2000/24 
Matte C-print 
146.3 x 182.9 cm 
Courtesy of the artist and carlier | gebauer 
© Paul Pfeiffer. Courtesy the artist; Paula Cooper Gallery, New York; carlier | gebauer, Berlin/Madrid; Perrotin; and Thomas Dane Gallery, London

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom

Paul Pfeiffer's artistic practice is distinguished by a profound inquiry into the nature of spectacle, identity, and the intricate mechanisms of

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom | Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

15€ Adults - 7.5€ Senior - 7.5€ Students

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As part of this initiative, the Museum hosts activities from a variety of fields, including architecture, film, dance, design, gastronomy, music, performance art, and theater.

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Exhibitions

Hilma af Klint

10.18.2024 - 02.02.2025

Works from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection

01.24.2023 - 12.31.2024

Exhibitions

upcoming

Paul Pfeiffer: Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom

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