From its inception in 1997, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s acquisition program has focused on art from mid-century to the present with a particular European-American axis, complementing the Guggenheim’s renowned holdings while establishing its own identity. Its collecting approach includes acquiring singular examples and signature works by leading artists, such as Joseph Beuys’ Lightning with Stag in its Glare, 1958–85, Robert Rauschenberg’s Barge, 1962–63, purchased jointly with the museum in New York, and Jeff Koons’ Puppy, 1992, which has assumed an iconic status in its position above the museum’s entrance. Following the Guggenheim’s model, Bilbao’s collection also features in-depth holdings of individual artists, such as Anselm Kiefer, with the aim of revealing their development over the course of their careers.

Bilbao has also actively sought artists to engage with the unprecedented scale and dynamic galleries of their 257,000 square feet of exhibition space. Artists such as Jenny Holzer, Richard Long, and Francesco Clemente have created works with Gehry’s space in mind, and most recently, in 2005, Richard Serra inaugurated his monumental, eight-part suite The Matter of Time (2005), heralded worldwide as one of the most significant sculpture installations in history.

Additionally, Bilbao’s holdings include work by modern and contemporary Basque and Spanish artists, including Eduardo Chillida, Juan Muñoz, Antonio Saura, and Antoni Tàpies in order to promote and preserve their vital cultural heritage.