Guggenheim Museum Bilbao hosts Steve McQueen show from 9 October
Published on 10/11/2026 at 06:59 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSKey points in brief
- The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened Steve McQueen’s 66-76-26 installation on 9 October 2026.
- The installation combines a cappella recordings of Wild is the Wind by Nina Simone and David Bowie in a dark gallery.
- 66-76-26 is scheduled to remain at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao until 21 February 2027.
- The building by Frank Gehry was constructed between October 1993 and October 1997 beside Bilbao’s Nervión River.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa) opened Steve McQueen’s 66-76-26 installation in Bilbao, Spain, on 9 October 2026. The work brings together a cappella recordings by Nina Simone and David Bowie in a dark gallery, and is scheduled to remain on view until 21 February 2027.
Steve McQueen’s 66-76-26 opens on 9 October
The installation was conceived specifically for the museum by the London- and Amsterdam-based artist, filmmaker and screenwriter Steve McQueen. The official 2026 programme places the work in gallery 105 from 9 October 2026 to 17 January 2027, while a public announcement from the museum gives the closing date as 21 February 2027.
The work uses Simone’s 1966 recording of Wild is the Wind and Bowie’s 1976 version of the same song. Both are presented without instrumental accompaniment, so visitors encounter the two voices within a darkened room rather than through a conventional screen-based film presentation. The title refers to the years of the two recordings and to 2026, the year of the installation.
The museum has described the work as a new installation in which the two voices meet through the gallery’s architecture. Its sound-based approach makes the room itself part of the experience, linking McQueen’s moving-image practice with the physical conditions of viewing.
How 66-76-26 uses the museum’s architecture
The installation arrives in a building designed by Frank Gehry and constructed between October 1993 and October 1997. The museum stands beside the Nervión River on a former wharf with industrial and port uses, a setting that was redeveloped for culture and leisure.
The building combines titanium, glass and limestone. The museum’s official account says its outer skin uses approximately 33,000 thin titanium sheets, while the Guggenheim Foundation describes the complex as occupying a 32,500-square-metre site along the river. Those materials and the building’s curved spaces give the sound installation a specific setting rather than a neutral exhibition room.
That relationship is the clearest link between the new work and its venue: 66-76-26 asks visitors to listen as they move through the architecture, while the building’s changing surfaces and volumes shape the sound’s physical presence.
The museum’s autumn programme also includes Pipilotti Rist’s Ever is Over All, which began on 1 October 2026, and the collection display, but the Steve McQueen installation is the new opening that defines the current visit.
Visiting Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- 66-76-26 opened at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao on 9 October 2026 and is scheduled to continue until 21 February 2027.
- The installation is in gallery 105. Visitors find a darkened room with two a cappella versions of Wild is the Wind by Nina Simone and David Bowie.
- The museum is on Avenida Abandoibarra beside the Nervión River in Bilbao. The official venue listing identifies Bilbao as the city and the museum as the location.
- The visit involves a dark gallery and a sound-led installation, so the experience differs from a display based mainly on paintings, labels or projected film.
- The building’s titanium, glass and limestone exterior and its curved exhibition spaces are part of the setting for the work.
Searching for Guggenheim Museum Bilbao on social platforms
These links open searches for Guggenheim Museum Bilbao on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
When does 66-76-26 take place at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao?
The installation opened on 9 October 2026 and is scheduled to remain on view until 21 February 2027.
What is 66-76-26 at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao?
It is a Steve McQueen installation combining a cappella recordings of Wild is the Wind by Nina Simone and David Bowie in a dark gallery.
Where is Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and how do you get there?
The museum is on Avenida Abandoibarra beside the Nervión River in Bilbao, Spain. Its official venue listing identifies the site as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
