Interview with Juan Ignacio Vidarte

May, 2018
Interview with Juan Ignacio Vidarte, Deputy Director and Chief Officer for Global Systems of Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Director General of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

As Mr. Vidarte divides his time between New York and Bilbao, I would like to conduct the interview in two parts respectively.

1. You are the Deputy Director and Chief Officer for Global Systems of Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Funding of the art institutions has been at a premium more than ever in the recent years and various companies have started to collaborate with the museums. In such a context, in what way the Guggenheim Foundation is a long- established and leading example of non-governmental/private support for art?

The Guggenheim Foundation is a private institution so it is fully funded by private means since its origin. So in that sense, I think it is a model of a private contribution to the development of culture. I think every institution its lives in a different context. In the north American context it is more common than for example the European context. This examples of institutions which are fully- funded by private means and I think it is a very admirable way to contribute to society through the development of culture. In Europe the situation is usually different where most cultural institutions are funded by the public funding in different levels. In our case, we are in sort of a guid (good) guide institution in Bilbao because we have certain level of public funding about 30% of our total revenue but the rest comes from private contributions and the operation of the museum. And as you say, there becoming more examples of private institutions now that are flourishing in Europe. We have certainly new examples like Louıs Vuitton in Paris or Prada in Milan, companies that are developing their own collections and their own spaces for culture. So I think that it is a very interesting evolution, I think it means that the cultural ecosystem is becoming more diverse and richer and I think that it is good sign.

2. As a global strategist specifically for art organizations, how can you describe the globalization phenomena in the field of art regarding the museum organizations? Could you please evaluate the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi project representing an outcome of global networking within this scope?

Well I think certainly we live in a world which is becoming more global and certainly thats affecting culture and it is certainly a very interesting development. I think it has many positive sights/sides to it. I think for the first time and thanks to technology, the possibility of a cultural world where transportation and communication makes us be part of one world. I think it is a very interesting development. I think it is a growing awareness and appetite for interest and curiosity for whats happening in other parts of the world. thats making us richer as citizens. but of course that also means that cultural institutions which by definition need to be driven by the development of their own specific experiences. in a way it challenges then and this globalization makes them, on one side it is possible for us to be part of that phenomena and take part in broader projects which are developed jointing with other institutions across the world but at the same time we need to be more focused in our own specific identity. because I think possible negative effect of globalization would be the transformation of everything in something similar so that any part of the world loses its identity and its specificity so I think we have to try to avoid that happening. and that is ı think the role of also cultural institutions that need to both play on the global scale but also take your own account of the local specificity to make sure that experience they develop is unique. I think in this sense the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, it is an admirable project and development. I Think it is a symptom of this new stage we are living in. it is admirable that the commitment to put culture in the center of this transformation effort in Abu Dhabi by linking transformation with the development of this museums of which became Abu dhabi’s one part of. the ambition the scale and also the commitment to develop an institution which is at one both and at the same time part of the global discussion and dialogue but at the same time very much closely connected with the identity of its location. So Ithink it is an admirable project that we are all looking forward to see completed.

3. The “Bilbao effect”, referring to the transformative power of the art institutions on the cities can be counted as another example of globalization. The city has become a regional destination and a center of attention after the establishment of the museum. Would you please tell us about the process?

The Bilbao museum was part of a broader strategy in the city of Bilbao, broader transformational strategy of the city which somehow with some connection we were talking about in relation with Abı Dhabi. Also this strategy made future I would say, of making culture the main priority in that transformation efforts. So as part of that broader strategy this project to develop a world class cultural institution in the city which somehow has acted as a catalyst of this city-wide transformation process in many aspects. ın addition to becoming a cultural institutıon, the

institution has also helped the driver of urban renewal in an area of the city that has been transformed from being marginal space 20-30 years ago to the one of the opportunity spaces for the future of the city. It has been an agent of economic development. It has have the effect of helping the city transform its economic structure into more service oriented city. It has been a tool of social transformation because it has help the city in itself to transformed itself. Bilbao was living in a situation 25-30 years ago of a deep economic crisis because some of the main sectors of the economy mostly have industry were in decline. the city was hoping to move forward into a transformation process in order to become more often small regional metropolis for the area. and in that change, it was considered that culture have to play a major role so that was the main reason why the museum as part of other cultural initiatives was the aspiration, of the museum to be a major driver of this plan of this effect. ın fact the museum, last year we had over 1.3 million visitors which were mostly coming from outside of Spain so it really provided a major effect in terms of economic activities that the city produced.

4. How has the museum brought change in local or societal level? How does it affect the public culture of the inhabitants of the city, more precisely the children, the youth or the elderly?

I think this is an interesting question because I would say the effect of the museum in terms of the city its profound but its also longterm so. the museum has been opened for 20 years now we are ready start to see the effect in the sense that many people who were children when the museum start this operation now they become adults so they are really part of this. new generations which were born with the museum now are becoming an important part of the fabric of the city. the city has changed in its own personality because of the museum. ıt has become a more cosmopolitan city. ıt has become a city more oriented towards contemporary culture. for the museum the level of local support that has received during these years has been enormous. we have around almost 30.000 members of the museum which are mostly locally based which support the museum in its operation. we have very large support from corporations from the area. we have try to make education one of the main priorities if not the main priority of the museum. so the museum is very active in educational programs which are oriented not just to school children and teachers but also to families, the elderly. and in the recent years, I would say last 5 or 7 years, we are very keenly devoted to making special programs oriented towards people with disabilities, people a part of the population which may have different source of problems because we have acknowledged that the power of art in helping, improve the conditions of these people who are in suffering. so we have programs oriented towards hospitals, towards the elderly, towards people with social disadvantages and so on. so I think the effect has been profound that probably we will need to wait some time to see how those profound effects sustaining the future.

5. I also would like to ask about the architectural structure of the institution for sure, which is a marginal contemporary example for a museum building. The outside view is glamorous indeed but I also wonder if it offers new practical solutions for inside organization of the museum?

The building is the very important part of the of this museum. ıt was always considered that way because we think the most important thing that the museum needs to focus is the experience that the visitor has when they come to visit. and thats the combination of the content but also of how the content is presented. what type of spaces that the content works of art can be displayed or enjoy that. so the building serves a very important function not just because it provides us with very distinct visual identity which for us is important in terms of conveying our image and our message to the world. but also most important because it provides us within the museum with unique spaces to show art display art. we think that there is not just one type of space which is ideal for any type of art. there are many ways that artists express themselves both in terms of scale, shapes and requirements. so for us it is essential that the museums can provide the variety of spaces so that those spaces can adapt to the type of art that we are showing.

This museum I think thanks to the architecture of Hungary we benefit from the richness of spaces .we have very large and tall galleries which are very good to display the certain works of art which are monumental in scale. but we have also have galleries which are much more traditionally proportioned and which are great to show art which is made in that format, more traditional painting or sculpture. so from that perspective, I think experience a work in the museum through these 20 years has prove to be/has to be very rewarding because we have been able to show art from artist which are very different but I think we have done it with satisfaction of that. right now we are showing at the museum sculptures each of them with more than 300 tones but at the same time we are showing the works by a traditional scale by artists like Kandinsky or Mark Rothko that require different type of spaces. the good thing is that the architecture of the museum gives us the opportunity of not having to choose but gives us the opportunity of being able to show at the same time the combination of major sculptures and a room with Kandinsky. So I think each work fits and benefits from being on the gallery which is just right for what it requires

6. You and the museum was awarded many times. How do you describe your vital management strategies for the Guggenheim Bilbao that are the keys of your success?

I think what is important for each museum is to be consistent with its mission and not to compromise on that. I think we have try to be very consistent with the mission that the museum have from the very beginning that we knew that it was essential that the museum became a cultural institution that was world-wide recognized so it was a cultural destination. we assumed that we have the role to play also socially in terms of being a tool or help in the transformation effort that the city was developing. we understood we need to develop a distinct identity that made us unique in terms of the experience that the visitors of this museum can have. and we thought that it was essential to be consistent with not compromising in the quality of the level of the program that we have been developing since our beginning. to the mission is I think one key to the success.

The second part I think it is very important I guess for any institution, certainly for this institution to think of the work of the museum as team work. the museum of this scale it is a very complex institution. there are many areas needs to work all. I think we are blessed by having a very highly qualified team of professionals that have been able to work as a team throughout this 20 years. The last thing I guess as a director my role is to be a connector a balancer because in the end you have to balance between program requirements and the operational restrictions. you need to balance between the program itself because the program needs to be a balance so that our audience which are very universal and very varied in terms of profiles and in terms of features. we can offer program throughout the year that needs balance in terms of contemporary versus modern, more classic versus more cutting-edge. we have to be balanced and it is a major issue for us for the last few years and will be in the future of how we find the right balance between being a physical institution but also incorporating digital elements that technology offers which can help us improve the experience of the visitors. so I guess that role of trying to be a mediator or connector of this different realities is also the essential part of my role as director.

This text first appeared in the May 2018 issue of Artam Global Art.