The inauguration of the expansion called “Agravitas” of the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts, whose construction was already well advanced, has once again been delayed. Since the start of its construction in 2021, the opening initially planned for 2022 had been postponed until 2025. We will now have to wait until 2026 to discover this new modern building.
If its opening has been so delayed, it is due to the additional costs generated in 2022 by the adaptation of existing buildings to new fire protection and evacuation regulations, as well as by the increase in the price of construction materials, following the post-Covid economic situation. The total renovation budget, which was 29.5 million euros, increased to 35 million euros, a sum that was covered by a loan from the three entities that own the museum: the Provincial Deputation of Biscay, Bilbao City Hall and the Basque Government.
“One of the subcontractors is experiencing economic difficulties; the company Inbersa, responsible for the construction of the metal roof of Agravitas, has gone bankrupt »explained Miguel Zugaza, director of the museum, to the Spanish newspaper Deia. While waiting for a new subcontract to complete the metal structure, the rest of the expansion work continues.
Architects Norman Foster and Luis Maria Uriarte have been in charge of the project since 2019. The work has two axes. The first concerns the restoration of the building’s original facade and front door, while the second concerns the construction of a 2,000 m2 building which rests on the current roof of the building and which will host temporary exhibitions . The ceiling heights of this new gallery will measure between 5 and 8 meters high, and the space will be glazed.
Although the modern building is currently closed pending completion of its work, exhibitions continue in the old museum building, the renovation of which was completed in 2022.
Inaugurated in 1945, the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts was completed by a second building erected 25 years later. The ensemble had already been the subject of a restoration by Luis Maria Uriarte in 2001. The collection, made up of significant donations, today includes some 6,000 paintings, sculptures and decorative art objects, spanning from the 12th century to the present day.
