The pop of yesterday and today

It is a delight to walk through Bilbaoeven more so on spring days with good temperatures, lapis lazuli blue skies and bright sun that reflects on the titanium scales of the majestic Guggenheimcausing it to look even more imposing.

To the capital of Biscay from San Sebastian It's an hour and a quarter and the best thing is to go by bus, if you pay with the public transport card, Mugi, the trip costs 6.70 euros round trip, about 100 pesos per person. By car, between tolls or booths, gasoline, parking, the cost is around 50 euros, about 900 pesos… Given such a colossal difference, option A is best.

I usually go to Bilbao in the morning and return in the afternoon, but on this occasion I decided to stay and explore it without haste to get lost in its streets, see shop windows, look into the pubs and take a look at the pintxos on offer! Yes, also in Bilbo, Bilbao in Basque, there is an incredible offer, although I always opt for my favorite classics: the 'grillo': potato (freshly cooked), lettuce (fresh and crispy), onion (freshly cut) and vinaigrette. And, the 'bilbainito' boiled egg and shrimp and mayonnaise.

Once the craving is satisfied, going to the 'Guggen' is the best option and a banquet for the thought and spirit. Nothing like entering the museum, from the Greek museion, the sacred abode of the muses, in the Hellenic tradition, the sanctuary of the nine happy-hearted nymphs who, with their mellifluous whispering voice, cause the oblivion of sorrows and misfortunes and it is true. I spent three hours that seemed like moments with Calliope, Clio, Thalia, Euterpe, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia and Urania.

The exhibition I visited was 'Signs and Objects: Pop Art from the Guggenheim Collection', in which the work 'De todo un poco' by Lucía Hierro, a 36-year-old Dominican-American plastic artist, with organza, is striking at the entrance. of polyester, felt and inkjet prints on brushed suede and nylon creates a large shopping bag in which there are entertainment magazines, bottles of alcohol, Goya coconut milk, a photograph that could be the Mona Lisa with the face of Jesus Christ .

It is a representation of the typical Latin American products that are sold in New York 'bodegas' or 'locutorios' in Spain. The pieces – the curator explains – refer to some concepts of pop art, but also express how objects can symbolize a cultural identity. The image remains of society immersed in consumption with global brands, junk food and without foundation.

Various stacked cardboard boxes of Roma soap also caught my attention, that iconic Mexican brand that has been present in our daily lives for decades. It is by José Dávila, from Guadalajara, 49 years old, highly sought after in the art circuits.

I saw forty creations by key figures of this artistic movement born in England in the 1950s, which had a great impact in the United States, among them the work of the precursor, Robert Rauschenberg with plastic, scrap metal and cardboard; the famous Grrrrrrrrrrr!!, Roy Lichtenstein's dog; Warhol's silkscreens of Marilyn Monroe.

The movement's proposal was an attack on the so-called 'high art', the classic and traditional. In 1962, the curator of the Guggenheim, New York, Lawrence Alloway, coined the term 'Pop Art', to explain the creators' exploration of the visual language of popular culture, drawing inspiration from newspapers, advertisements, and advertising. Likewise, he organized an exhibition 'Six Painters and the Object', which he initially thought of titled 'Signs and Objects', as it is called today and which shows that pop art is more alive than ever and constantly evolving. Until another time, Bilbo.

@irmaa.aguilar

More from the same author:

• Spring and illusion
• dream hedgehogs
• Nothing like the shout of joy

#pop #yesterday #today