Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao Becomes an Eclipse Spectacle

The Guggenheim Bilbao made the most of its prime location to view the solar eclipse, leveraging Frank Gehry’s titanium-clad building as a spectacular backdrop.

As the sky darkened, gradually at first and then quickly, people enjoyed Spain’s first total solar eclipse in more than a century, along with the sight of the building changing color on a clear evening on August 12.

For those who were not in the Basque Country, the museum posted a reel on social media with the pointed message: “In times of darkness, art has always been and will always be an inspiring light.”

Bilbao narrowly missed out in 1999, the last time a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of Europe. This year, supermarkets in the city and across northern Spain have been selling special glasses for safely viewing the sun going dark for months.