JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM IN BILBAO OFFERED AS AN EXAMPLE OF GREAT NEW ARCHITECTURE GIVING FRESH LIFE TO TIRED PLACES - WHY THIS IS NOT SO

COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN THE INDEPENDENT

“How stunning architecture like the Guggenheim in Bilbao breathes new life into tired cities”

It just ain't so.

Bilbao, if it is indeed considered great architecture, is an example making just the opposite point.

It is like a daunting fortress dropped from the sky with no relationship to its surroundings.

Even your photo demonstrates the opposite of your claim.

There's no life at the place. I've yet to see a photo showing any life around it.

The truth is, of course, that this is not great architecture.

It is a monumental sculpture which has no relationship with people who come near it or with the city in which it resides.

It is simply a monstrous memorial to a wealthy family.

It almost reminds me, in its “tone,” of the kind of monstrous buildings Hitler had planned for Germany's future.