ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Bilbao Fine Arts Museum Unveils €45m Norman Foster-Designed Expansion

architecture-design · 2026-04-27

The Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao has unveiled a €45 million expansion designed by Foster + Partners alongside Basque architect Luis María Uriarte, which increases the exhibition area to 6,000 square meters and refurbishes 8,000 square meters of current galleries. This "floating pavilion" connects a Neo-Classical building from 1945 with a Modernist addition from 1970, both of which were previously updated by Uriarte in 2001. The new structure includes two upper levels dedicated to temporary exhibitions, a viewing terrace, a restaurant, and a 1,000 square meter atrium serving as a visitor center. The museum's permanent collection boasts 2,000 paintings, 500 sculptures, and 800 decorative arts pieces, funded by various government entities. Director Miguel Zugaza highlighted the design's harmony with existing architecture.

Key facts

  • The €45m Norman Foster-designed expansion of the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum opens to the public on 6 October.
  • Foster + Partners collaborated with Basque architect Luis María Uriarte on the project.
  • The expansion doubles exhibition space to around 6,000 sq. m and remodels 8,000 sq. m of existing galleries.
  • The new wing links a 1945 Neo-Classical building and a 1970 Modernist, Mies van der Rohe-influenced expansion, both renovated by Uriarte in 2001.
  • Two curved, light-flooded upper storeys, supported by giant V-shaped columns, overhang the front façade.
  • A new 1,000 sq. m atrium acts as a visitor centre and connects old and new galleries.
  • The permanent collection includes around 2,000 paintings, 500 sculptures and 800 decorative arts objects.
  • Funding comes from the Basque government, regional government, provincial council, Bilbao city council and the BBK Banking Foundation.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao
  • Foster + Partners
  • Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
  • BBK Banking Foundation
  • Basque government
  • The Art Newspaper
  • BBK Museoa
  • Gabinete Gondra Barandiarán
  • Museo del Prado
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Arango Collection
  • Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection
  • Foster family
  • Museo de Bellas Artes
  • Prado
  • Collezione Arango
  • Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
  • Artribune
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
  • Kutxabank
  • Museum of Modern Art (Bilbao)
  • Guggenheim Bilbao
  • lejournaldesarts.fr
  • LM Uriarte Arkitektura S.L.P.
  • Agravitas
  • Bilbao Bizkaia Kutxa Foundation (BBK)
  • Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
  • University of East Anglia
  • British Museum
  • TekArK Studio
  • MC2
  • Valladares Ingeniería
  • Acústica DC
  • KREAN Soc. Coop.
  • LM Uriarte Arkitektura
  • designboom
  • Fundación BBK
  • Metropolitan Museum de Nueva York
  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias
  • Enar
  • Urbelan
  • Altuna y Uria
  • Campezo
  • Teusa
  • Martifer

Locations

  • Bilbao
  • Spain
  • Basque Country
  • Nervión River
  • Madrid
  • New York
  • United States
  • Nervión river
  • Doña Casilda park
  • Paesi Baschi
  • Abando
  • Museo Plaza
  • Artetxe Kondearen Zumarkalea
  • Nervión
  • Biscay
  • France
  • Atxuri
  • Greece
  • Bulgaria
  • London
  • Piémont
  • Italy
  • Les Sables-d'Olonne
  • Norwich
  • England
  • Plaza Arriaga
  • España
  • Bizkaia
  • País Vasco
  • Tampico
  • México
  • Nueva York
  • Asturias
  • Ciudad de México
  • Parque de Doña Casilda de Iturrizar
  • Plaza Museo
  • Plaza Euskadi
  • Atrio Arriaga

Sources

Related stories