The Guggenheim Museum, (http://www.guggenheim-bil...), in Bilbao is world-renowned for its contemporary architecture and modern art. It was designed by Frank Gehry, and opened in 1997.
alava
Alava, along with its neighbor La Rioja, on the other bank of the Ebro River, produces world-class wines and is especially famous for its robust reds.
Situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, Alava offers an easy rolling landscape, mild climate and vineyards everywhere. It is an ideal place for wineries to multiply, spread, consolidate and, in the process, amass large quantities of money for their owners. As these fortunes grow, new brands need to be created and fresh images must be marketed. One way some wineries achieve this is by using avant-garde architecture for the construction of their buildings.
In the little town of Elciego, the Marques de Riscal winery has one of these futuristic buildings designed by world-famous architect Frank Gehry he also designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, a hundred miles or so to the north. This time, however, he "pushed the envelope" so to speak of the Guggenheim style. He made the Guggenheim convoluted shapes flow more freely as if a storm were blowing on the outer surfaces and making them flap like flags in the wind. The result is absolutely astonishing. The sole purpose for the edifice is to be a temple to Bacchus, the god of wine!
A few miles away, just outside Laguardia, another famous architect by the name of Santiago Calatrava recently created the Isios winery. He also designed the new Olympic stadium in Athens, Greece, and the ultra-modern City of Arts and Sciences/Performing Arts Center, in Valencia, Spain Although not as much "out-on-the-edge" as the Marques de Riscal winery, its soaring, wavy roof set against the backdrop of the blue sky and the green mountain range is a sight to see.
The industrialist Solomon R. Guggenheim was inspired by Baroness Hilla Rebay von Ehrenwiesenâs love for modern art. Rebay laid more emphasis on art that is non-objective. Guggenheim is known for his debates on abstract art with Robert Delaunay, Albert Gleizes, and Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinskyâs Composition 8 was purchased by Guggenheim, which made the entire collection famous