Present day
07-02-14
Centenary of the opening of the first Museo del Bellas Artes
The origins of the present-day Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao lie in the first fine arts museum, which was founded in 1908 and opened to the public in 1914 in the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de la Villa, located in the old Civil Hospital in Atxuri. Years later, in 1922, another museum of modern art was set up in what is now the regional library, opening to the public in 1924. The two institutions and their respective collections were combined in 1945, the year when the original building was constructed. In 1970 the new building was added to it, while in 2001 a major remodeling project gave the Museum its present-day appearance.
8 February 2014, is the centenary of the opening of the original museum. In order to celebrate this event, visitors this weekend will receive a souvenir of that anniversary.