The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao announced that six artworks by international contemporary artists will be incorporated into the Museum’s collection, thanks to a gift from the D.Daskalopoulos Collection.
Artworks by Matthew Barney, John Bock, Kendell Geers, Guyton/Walker, Martin Kippenberger, and Kiki Smith—sculptures, installations, and paintings—will now enrich the Museum’s holdings. In addition to having been shown in many international art institutions, these works were also part of the exhibition of the D.Daskalopoulos Collection at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in 2011, curated by Nancy Spector and Katherine Brinson (Guggenheim Daskalopoulos Curator, Contemporary Art since 2017) titled The Luminous Interval.
The donation of these six works to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao strengthens its Collection, not only by introducing new mediums that combine mixed techniques and ambitious scales but also by expanding its list of internationally renowned artists
In particular, the addition of works by Kendell Geers and Kiki Smith brings a new approach in two areas the Museum aims to strengthen: the decolonial perspective explored by Geers through his critique of power systems, and the integration of female artists like Smith, whose production delves into anatomy, gender, and identity.
This gift also adds the first artwork from the Guyton/Walker collective to the Guggenheim Institutions’ global holdings, while the Martin Kippenberger artwork solidifies an already existing group of German postwar artists including Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, and Anselm Kiefer, forging an intergenerational dialogue that explores issues of identity, history, and social criticism. The connection between Kippenberger and John Bock, whose practices share an irreverent, performative approach, adds yet another layer of richness to the Museum’s holdings with their playful use of the absurd to challenge the established rules in art.
Finally, the inclusion of Matthew Barney highlights the affinity between his practice and that of Kippenberger and Bock, since all three share an interest in appropriation, assemblage, and a fusion of mediums. These artworks not only expand the mediums and themes in the Collection but also reaffirm its commitment to contemporary art as a vehicle for questioning society and promoting a critical dialogue with the public.
Main Image: Kendell Geers, Akropolis Now, 2004. Razor mesh and metal shelves, 300 x 900 x 50 cm. © Kendell Geers, Vegap, Bilbao, 2025.
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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