The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao extends hours to welcome a record number of visitors
In response to the extraordinarily high number of visitors coming to the Museum these days—a historic record of 50,434 last week (August 8 to 14) with a daily visitor average of 7,204—and in the light of the even higher daily average in the current week (8,800 this past Thursday), the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao will extend opening hours so that higher numbers of people can come and enjoy the exhibitions.
From Monday August 22 to September 18—closing day of Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture—the Museum will open at 9:00 am, that is, one hour earlier than usual. In addition, on Fridays and Saturdays, it will close one hour later, i.e., at 10:00 pm, a historic extension of the Museum opening hours.
Undoubtedly, the interest and acclaim of Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture, the exhibition curated by Norman Foster that celebrates the artistic dimension of the automobile, have had an enormous impact on visitor turnout. Sponsored by Iberdrola and Volkswagen Group, the show has gone past the mark of 500,000 visitors since it opened in April, and it is expected to welcome many more in its final month. This has led the Museum to implement extraordinary measures to ensure everyone has a chance of visiting and enjoying it.
Other exhibitions that are currently on view at the Museum include Jean Dubuffet: Ardent Celebration, sponsored by BBK, closing this Sunday August 21; Serra/Seurat. Drawings, through September 6; The Otolith Group. O Horizon, through October 9 in the Film & Video Gallery; and the ongoing Masterpieces from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Collection.