The mayor has made frequent comparisons to Bilbao, Spain, where the New York museum successfully opened a branch in 1997. The project, developed with the financial backing of the Basque government, was a linchpin in a plan to revitalize the local economy and transform Bilbao into a major metropolitan area.
Krens did acknowledge that smaller cities like Bilbao often stood a better chance of winning bigger projects, due to available incentives and resources, and the fact that larger cities often already had their investments and plans.
Referring to the Bilbao Guggenheim, he said the potential pay-off from such a project fell into three main areas -- boosted tax revenues, which allowed Bilbao to pay off the project's cost within five years; the creation of an attractive investment environment for a wide range of businesses; and the attention of the global media, which in itself is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Since its founding about 60 years ago, the Guggenheim Museum has become a leader as an exhibitor of modern art and currently has branches in New York, Las Vegas, Venice, Bilbao and Berlin, with significant expansions taking place under Krens leadership over the past decade. Comparing his museum's expansion model to free trade, the director said that it provided access to various cultural narratives and puts an institution in a position to better engage in cultural exchanges.
"The Guggenheim has proposed a model that is very controversial. Some think it's the future and others think it's the end of the world. The truth is probably somewhere in between," said Krens, referring to the museum's international expansion.
"I don't think what we do is wrong. Contemporary art is not the property of the West."
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