Frank O. Gehry designed the Guggenheim to be unlike any other museum. The Guggenheim consists of free-form shapes that mimic organic life particularly fish. The floral "Puppy" by Jeff Koon greets visitors at the front. Louise Bourgeois' large sculptured spider is located at the back of the museum. At the back of the expressionist modern styled building there is a single Tuscan column that appears to support an overhanging roof. As a part of the design, one side of the Guggenheim is sixteen meters underground. The design of the Guggenheim depended on technology. 

Inside there is eleven thousand square meters of exhibition space for nineteen galleries. Ten galleries having an orthogonal look contrast with the nine irregularly shaped galleries that are easily identified from the outside by the covering of titanium. The exhibits change theme often, except for the permanent collection. The heart of the permanent collection is the "Fish Room". It's a huge gallery that has iron sculptures. The steps take the visitors down to the main hall which leads to the heart of the museum. In the atrium there are many halls that connect to different galleries. Although there is a complex appearance, people can easily find their way around.

This building designed to exhibit contemporary art is considered a masterpiece of twentieth century architecture. Like Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry is an architect known for integrating his buildings into the landscape. The Guggenheim in Bilbao is on a piece of land that is part of a harbor and runs along a river. Built in an industrial area the museum is a sculpture made from a variety of materials. There are forms finished in stone and curved walls covered in titanium. Huge glass windows bring lots of light into the interior along with a skylight in the dome above the atrium. The use of these different materials gives the Guggenheim in Bilbao a unique spatial quality. This museum has renovated and radically updated the city of Bilbao. 
 

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drawing by Andrew