The origins of the present Bilbao Fine Arts Museum lie in the first Fine Arts Museum that was founded in 1908 and which opened its doors in 1914 and the Modern Art Museum that opened in 1924. Both museums and their respective collections became one to all effects in 1945, which was when the first, original building was built. The modern, new wing was added in 1970 and profound renovations and improvements in 2001 have given the museum its current appearance.
Our mission
To gather, conserve, study and disseminate the collection of ancient, modern and contemporary art of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum; to strive to enrich it; to maintain services; and to promote quality activities with the goal of actively contributing to educating society and projecting the values of the Basque Country.
The project with the pseudonym “Agravitas,” submitted by Norman Foster and Luis Mari Uriarte, was chosen to be the winning proposal to enlarge and remodel the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum with more room to extend the display of its collections and to promote its Exhibition, Education and Dissemination program.
The winning project will also resolve the museum’s orientation to the city by once again making the façade of the old building permeable. Furthermore, the new architecture will bring unique value to the institution’s identity.