Challenging the seductions of the Bilbao Guggenheim

The seductive qualities of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao are usually attributed to its technological and aesthetic sophistication and its striking presence. Hardly less seductive, however, in the view of Basque cultural critic Joseba Zulaika, were the tactics employed by the Guggenheim's director, Thomas Krens, in the conception and planning of the museum. The article looks briefly at some of the challenges to each of these forms of seduction, before concluding that, six years on, the challenges and seductions of the project remain very finely balanced.