We visit Chillida Leku, the home of Eduardo Chillida’s creations
We visit Chillida Leku, the home of Eduardo Chillida’s creations
The work of Eduardo Chillida, the most internationally recognized Basque artist, is present in museums and collections around the world and more than 500 solo exhibitions of his pieces have been held in various countries like Germany, the USA, the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. In 1966, the first retrospective display of his work was put on at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Later, in 1980, he exhibited at the Guggenheim in New York, and the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid hosted his largest retrospective show in 1998. Nevertheless, it is at Chillida-Leku –founded by Eduardo Chillida himself when he was alive– that the largest and most representative body of work by the artist can be found. The museum is located on the outskirts of Hernani, very close to San Sebastián, and it is made up of an open-air set of sculptures and an exhibition space inside the Zabalaga estate, a traditional Basque construction erected in the sixteenth century.
The house and its adjacent grounds were acquired in the 1980s by Eduardo Chillida and his wife Pilar Belzunce, who personally restored and refurbished them over the course of more than fifteen years. That first rehabilitation project was carried out in close collaboration with the Basque architect Joaquín Montero, who helped the couple’s highly personal vision for the exhibition space to materialize. The sculptor was looking for a home for his artwork –a “place” (in Basque, leku)– where future generations could learn about and experience his art in a unique setting.
Once the renovation work that brought the farmhouse back to life was completed, the museum opened to the public on September 16, 2000. From that date forward, Chillida-Leku has not ceased in its efforts to disseminate and conserve the art by the Basque sculptor and, despite the fact that in 2011 the establishment was closed to the continuous flow of visitors, the possibility still existed for anyone to be able to visit the museum by appointment.
In 2019, the museum once again opened its doors to the public in full (and it was selected as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places of the Year by TIME magazine), after a remodel directed by the Argentine architect Luis Laplace, known for his respectful and sustainable interior design and restoration work developed in close connection with art. In addition, Laplace worked closely with architect Jon Essery Chillida, the sculptor’s grandson.
Thanks to the good general condition of the facilities, a total remodel was not necessary. Instead, a respectful update was carried out. The estate –the museum’s main building– maintains exactly the same appearance and structure that Chillida conceived.
In addition to the improvements, some new facilities were started up like a welcome center for visitors, the Lurra cafeteria, and a shop. The project also had the contribution of Dutch nature artist Piet Oudolf, pioneer of the New Perennial Movement. Said artist’s contribution consisted of introducing subtle landscaping elements.
Currently, the museum is the stage for numerous cultural and educational activities that are closely linked to the local community. It also hosts guest pieces by great creators like Louise Bourgeois and organizes temporary exhibitions featuring renowned artists like Antoni Tàpies, whose works are related with the figure and legacy of Eduardo Chillida.
Chillida Leku
Barrio Jauregui 66, Hernani.
