The D.Daskalopoulos Collection continues its mission of sharing contemporary art with the public through its ongoing collaboration with leading international institutions. In its latest gesture of generosity, the Collection is donating six significant works to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, further enriching its holdings of contemporary art.

The gift includes works by six renowned contemporary artists: Matthew Barney, John Bock, Kendell Geers, Guyton/Walker, Martin Kippenberger, and Kiki Smith. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao becomes part of the important international institutions to receive works from the D.Daskalopoulos Collection, ensuring their long-term preservation, continued engagement with the public and dialogue with the art of the future.

This gift builds upon the longstanding relationship between the D.Daskalopoulos Collection and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Notably, in 2011, the museum presented the acclaimed exhibition The Luminous Interval, which featured approximately 60 works from the Collection. Curated by Nancy Spector and Katherine Brinson (who became the Guggenheim Daskalopoulos Curator, Contemporary Art in 2017), the exhibition provided a compelling exploration of contemporary artistic expression.

For over 30 years, the D.Daskalopoulos Collection has served as a temporary caretaker of artistic and human creativity, supporting an open lending policy in line with its belief that art takes its meaning and exerts its influence only when it is widely shared with the public. This philosophy culminated in 2022 with the gift of more than 350 works to four major museums: EMST (National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens), Tate (UK), the Guggenheim Museum, New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, a practice which will also continue with other significant cultural institutions.

The gifted works

The addition of these six works to the collection of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao represents a significant enrichment of its contemporary art holdings. These artworks introduce diverse media, ambitious artistic scales, and expand the museum’s engagement with internationally acclaimed artists.

Matthew Barney
Cremaster 5, 1997
35 mm print, laser disk, polyester, acrylic, velvet, sterling silver
91,4 x 121,9 x 94 cm
Colour 35 mm film with sound (54 min. 30 sec.)

John Bock
Palms, 2007
Digital color video with sound (59 min. 14 sec.), car, and assorted objects
Dimensions variable

Kendell Geers
Akropolis Now, 2004
Razor mesh and metal shelves
300 x 900 x 50 cm

Guyton/Walker

Untitled, 2008

Inkjet and silkscreen on canvas, inkjet print on drywall, paint cans, and inkjet prints
Dimensions variable

Martin Kippenberger

Untitled (Invention of a Joke), 1993

Oil on canvas

240 x 200 cm.

Kiki Smith

Field Operation, 1994

25 silicon bronze tables and 61 phosphorous bronze lymph elements
Dimensions variable

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