As the days get longer and the first real warmth settles in, I always feel that familiar pull: it’s time to go somewhere new. I try to see at least one new place every year, and this time, the long Easter weekend gave me the perfect excuse. Destination: Bilbao.

What follows is not a checklist. Nor is it a restaurant guide, though the city boasts spectacular food and many a Michelin star. No, give my passion for art, this is a way of experiencing the city through the lens of contemporary art.

A weekend anchored by a masterpiece

No surprise here: the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is the center of gravity. And yes, it lives up to every expectation.

First: the building itself

Before stepping inside, take your time outside. We split our visit into multiple moments across the day. And that made all the difference.

Designed by Frank Gehry, the building shifts constantly. In the morning, it reads as cool, almost blue steel. By sunset, it turns warm, glowing gold. Same structure, entirely different mood.

And then there are the moments you don’t plan for. When the fog installation rolls in—like clockwork—a soft cloud rises from beneath the walkway, and suddenly the museum feels less like a building and more like a ship floating through air.

Add in the monumental spider by Louise Bourgeois and the mirrored forms by Anish Kapoor, and you realize something quickly: you could spend an entire visit outside and still feel satisfied.

Then: step inside

Of course, we didn’t stop there.

Ruth Asawa: quiet perfection

The current exhibition of Ruth Asawa was one of the highlights of the trip.

Her delicate wire forms, part tree, part flower, part something entirely their own, have a way of slowing you down. You don’t rush through these rooms. You stand, you look, and you let your eyes adjust to the rhythm of the work.

I was reminded how much I loved her pieces when I first saw them in New York City. Seeing them here, in Bilbao, felt like reconnecting with an old favorite.

Richard Serra: getting lost (in the best way)

Then came a room dedicated to Richard Serra. This is where things shift from observation to experience.

His monumental steel sculptures form a kind of maze. You walk through them, around them, sometimes unsure where the path leads. The scale is overwhelming, but in a way that invites movement rather than distance.

I’ve always loved his work, whether at the Dia_Beacon or at La Reina Sofia in Madrid, and this installation only confirmed it.

A quiet moment with Kusama

And yes, there is also an infinity room by Yayoi Kusama.

If you’ve seen her work at David Zwirner Gallery in New York, you’ll remember the long waits. Here, the experience felt calmer, more reflective. You actually get a moment to stand still and take it in.

And that is what made it special.

Beyond the Guggenheim

Bilbao does not stop at one museum. And a weekend gives you just enough time to look a little further.

Photography at Sala Rekalde

A short walk away, Sala Rekalde offers a very different experience. The space itself is a classic white cube: clean and restrained. It lets the work take center stage.

During our visit, the exhibition featured the black-and-white photography of Nicholas Nixon. There is something deeply human about his work. You don’t just look at the photographs, you spend time with them.

The highlight for me was his long-running portrait series of the Brown family. Several women, photographed year after year, across decades. Simple in concept, but powerful in execution. You see time pass, relationships shift, faces change. It’s subtle, and it stays with you long after you leave. I loved it.

Living with art at Hotel Miró

Because it was Easter weekend, many of the smaller galleries were closed. But sometimes, the right hotel makes up for that.

We stayed at Hotel Miró and it turned out to be more than just a place to sleep. As the name suggests, this is a hotel that takes art seriously.

Works are placed throughout the space, quietly integrated into the experience. Not overwhelming, not forced. Just there, waiting to be noticed.

It became an unexpected extension of the gallery circuit. I found myself discovering new artists and mentally adding them to my “follow” list: Paul Thorel, Tatiana Parcero, Ana Laura Aláez.

It’s a reminder that in a city like Bilbao, art is not confined to institutions. Sometimes, it’s part of where you wake up.

Final thoughts

Bilbao is often reduced to a single museum. That’s fair—the museum is extraordinary. But what stayed with me wasn’t just the art. It was the way the experience unfolded over time: morning light, evening glow, quiet galleries, monumental spaces.

If you’re a contemporary art lover, this is an easy recommendation. Give it a weekend. Let it unfold slowly. Trust me on this.