{"id":300,"date":"2015-12-01T22:39:55","date_gmt":"2015-12-02T03:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/basqueresearch\/?p=300"},"modified":"2017-05-25T11:49:03","modified_gmt":"2017-05-25T15:49:03","slug":"bilbao-effect-lessons-learned-from-the-basque-guggenheim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/basqueresearch\/2015\/12\/01\/bilbao-effect-lessons-learned-from-the-basque-guggenheim\/","title":{"rendered":"Bilbao Effect: Lessons Learned from the Basque Guggenheim"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Thomas<\/a>

Thomas Krens and Frank Gehry observing the foundations of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSeduction consists of having people wish for something that you wish for without you having to ask for it\u201d, says Thomas Krens, the Guggenheim\u2019s Senior Advisor for International Affairs, \u201cIt\u2019s all about the transfer of desire.\u201d In 1991, Krens met with Basque officials and the Basque Nationalist Party to negotiate the details of establishing the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao. The Basques were very hesitant about the project, and didn\u2019t want to accept it prior to resolving areas of distress. Some problems that were presented in this negotiation centered upon economic issues, the national identity and globalization in the Basque country, and the \u201cBilbao effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Krens wanted to negotiate with several cities to create a Guggenheim franchise. Bilbao\u2019s uniqueness \u00a0caught his attention, although he had originally pictured Guggenheim in a big European city rich with history, art and flair of modernity. Bilbao had most of these features, but was far from what Krens pictured as glamorous. On the one hand, Bilbao\u2019s authorities mainly wanted the Guggenheim museum to help revitalize their city and they knew that economic activity would increase from tourism centered upon the museum. On the other hand, the Basques were hesitant because they couldn\u2019t exactly decipher Krens\u2019 intentions. There had been a lot of rumors that he wasn\u2019t a serious guy and that his partners were unsure of the deal.<\/p>\n

McGuggenisation is a term that critics used to describe how the museum impacted Bilbao and the rest of the world. It suggests Americanization and spreading of American cultural ideals and norms. One could say that the arrangement offered by the Guggenheim Foundation to the Basque regional government was part of a strategy of expansion aimed at establishing a chain of Guggenheims around the world.\u00a0 Seen as a global strategy, critics didn\u2019t quite agree with the pact that the Basque Country would be making with Krens and his partners. Some believed that accepting the establishment of the museum would increase American cultural influence and dominance in Europe. The critics were not quite sure if the deal would have a positive or negative economic impact in Bilbao and they worried about the Guggenheim\u2019s impact on the Basque Country\u2019s globalization efforts. They were also afraid that the Basque cultural identity and unique culture could be at risk once the Americans come in. Little did they know, the Guggenheim would actually help Bilbao and the Basque Country tremendously. The museum drew tourists from all over the world in the first four years, bringing an estimate of almost four million visitors.<\/p>\n

The increase in tourism greatly helped increase Bilbao\u2019s economic progress. The \u201cBilbao effect\u201d refers to how the museum transformed the city to a flourishing modern tourist destination. Three years after the museum was inaugurated, over 110 millions of dollars\u00a0was raised by the regional government, which was more than enough to cover construction costs. The numbers of tourist increased and the Basque Country\u2019s economy seemed to prosper each year due to a high amount of visitors in the Bilbao.One can conclude that despite the museum\u2019s global and powerful franchise, the Basques have been able to remodel the franchise and imbue it with their own vision and strong\u00a0cultural contributions.<\/p>\n

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Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lee, Denny. “Bilbao, 10 Years Later”. The New York Times <\/em>23 Sept. 2000.<\/em><\/p>\n

McNeill, Donald. “McGuggenisation? National Identity and Globalization in the Basque Country” Political Geography<\/em> 19.04 (2000): 473-94. Print.<\/p>\n

Zulaika, Joseba. Cronica de<\/em> una\u00a0Seduccion<\/em>. Nerea, 2000. Print.<\/p>\n

Alguien m\u00e1s que ha entendido las causas y las consecuencias del Guggenheim Bilbao<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n