Overview
- The new Foster + Partners and Luis María Uriarte wing opened to the public on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, following a reopening ceremony on October 5.
- The €45 million project installs a 55‑metre elevated, column‑free 'floating pavilion' supported on large V‑shaped columns to bridge and unite the museum’s 1945 and 1970 buildings.
- Exhibition capacity roughly doubles to about 6,000 m² while some 8,000 m² of existing galleries are remodelled, adding temporary‑exhibition spaces, a columnless upper gallery, and a restaurant with city views.
- The scheme restores the museum’s original 1945 entrance and introduces a 1,000 m² light‑filled atrium as a central visitor hub plus new research, education, family and documentation facilities.
- Funded by regional and local public bodies with support from the BBK Banking Foundation, the expansion pedestrianises the forecourt and is intended to reorient the Fine Arts Museum toward the nearby Guggenheim and strengthen Bilbao’s cultural corridor.