The same way Paris has the Eiffel tower and New York has the Statue of Liberty, Santander has the…read moreCentro Botin. The Botín Center is an art center designed by architect and Pritzker winner Renzo Piano. It is located in a privileged location in Santander right on the water, and through a broader urban intervention, the architect manages to integrate the city center and the historic Pereda Gardens with its bay. Light and lightness have been essential aspects in the conception of the project. Depending on the angle that you look at the building, you an see a sliver of architecture through the tress or a massive round edifice on the water. The main thing I loved was that there is an open top floor from which you can see the entire city of Santander and the bay. You can reach this vintage point by stairs or elevator. It's free to go up. Periodically there are cultural events and art galleries inside the center.

This a very beautiful and uniquely designed art center that overlooks the bay. I believe that…read moretickets during our visit were about 10€, and I thought the exhibitions were worth the entry fee (even if a couple were not my cup of tea). From my POV, Centro Botin gave a bit of a mix of modern and classical exhibitions. While I enjoyed most of the exhibits, I will admit that the views of the city and the bay from the Centro were a bit more interesting than a couple of the exhibits. Outside of the museum, there are plenty of places to take pictures of the beautiful scenery of the bay.

I'm sometimes fortunate enough to be traveling with my art historian daughter. She had the Museo…read moreBellas Artes on our itinerary before doing anything else in the city on our most recent visit. For about half of the museum, they had a small amount of art in each room. Mostly it would represent 2 different artists, of different time periods, and one or two works by each. I found it to be a thought provoking experience, wondering what common themes or influences I could find. Sometimes, similarities were obvious, other times not. Being allowed to draw our own conclusions was nice, but I would have also appreciated commentary from their curatorial staff, telling us how and why the pairings were made. The major artists represented were wonderful to see. FYI - admission was free when we visited (June 2023), but we did have to stop at the ticket office and claim our physical proof of entry. They do not allow backpacks (very sensibly), and have free lockers in the basement to check your bags.

I am extremely disappointed. The permanent collection is not on display during renovation and…read morethat's why I came to this city and decided on it over other cities in Spain. THERE IS NO INFORMATION ONLINE THAT THE PERMANENT COLLECTION IS CLOSED. The staff confirmed this and they receive this complaint everyday. THIS IS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING. The new building is scheduled to reopen in October. For a major museum, this lack of communication is very bad.

Gayle and I arrived in Laguardia mid-day one recent October Sunday. This is a charming "Village On…read moreThe Hill" deep in the Rioja Wine Country. We came here to walk around, have Lunch, and possibly tour one of the Bodegas that are contained underneath. Things didn't go entirely to plan as we got lost coming here and the Bodegas close early on Sunday. We were also happily delayed by our serendipitous discovery of Juanjo San Pedro's abstract, yet very inviting artwork. Plus it was a pleasure and a privilege to talk with this most kind and talented man himself. Juanjo San Pedro's work stands by itself and after the warm welcome and conversation, I was seriously rethinking the Family Art Budget. He has a separate book of his works, which unfortunately wasn't for sale with an associated purchase. I think he sensed our limitations all along, but was happy to engage (and compliment) Gayle's Spanish and chat about generational things that we all shared. He also showed us completely around his Studio and his various abstract paintings. We eventually left very impressed, and I'm pretty sure that his Studio isn't done with us yet.

This is the late 20th century opus of American architect Frank Gehry…read more As an architect, i am always amazed at what some architects can get build. Thus, this always perplexed me. However in situ, it makes total sense. At a human scale its underpinnings line up with the surrounding buildings and the river it sits upon. The curvilinear forms are symbolic of the ships once built on this ground in the early 20th century. As an icon and symbol of basque pride. Interestingly, it also plays homage to Frank Lloyd Wright's opus the original Guggenheim in NYC. The Art? The building is the art. I will let others comment on its success as a gallery. However, it is perhaps the one of the greatest pieces of architecture of our time. Post Modern deconstructionist Master Work

This museum was the main reason why I chose to visit Bilbao during my recent trip to Spain. It had…read morebeen on my bucket list for years! I've visited the Guggenheim museums in NYC and Venice and I have to say that this building had the most unique architecture of them all so far. Designed by Frank Gehry, the museum is a deconstructionist building with over 33,000 titanium plates. Located along the Nervion River, the industrial backdrop of Bilbao blends in with the metallic look of the museum. The interior seems a bit jumbled, which is a contrast to the sleekness of the exterior. Stairwells jut here and there, it didn't seem like there was a real flow. In terms of the collection, while I was here there was an exhibition of Jasper Johns, and while I'm not a huge fan but know his work, it was interesting. I found that the exhibits were on the niche side, albeit very comprehensive with retrospectives of their work. I really liked viewing the installation piece by Richard Serra, The Matter of Time. Also being a fan of Jeff Koons, the live Puppy outdoor sculpture is amazing to view. Honestly, I was more impressed with the architecture rather than the art here.

Stockists of many cool books, prints, water bottles, cards etc. A tempting store for those looking…read morefor something artistic a little off the beaten track. Good for treating yourself or someone else.