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Bilbao recovers one of Eduardo Chillida's most emblematic works
Eduardo Chillida's iconic sculpture , "Elogio del Hierro III," returns to the city of Bilbao so residents and visitors can admire it in the renovated Plaza Chillida, next to the south façade of the Museum of Fine Arts. BBVA is donating this work to the museum as part of the bank's commitment to art and culture in the Basque Country.
Praise of Iron III is one of Eduardo Chillida's key sculptures, made of wrought iron and part of his Praise of Iron series. In this work, the Basque artist explores the expressive possibilities of metal, a material deeply linked to the traditions of his land, while simultaneously transforming it into a vehicle for modernity and abstraction.
The piece is characterized by its solidity and weight, but also by the way it introduces emptiness into its interior. Chillida thus establishes a dialogue between mass and space, between fullness and emptiness, inviting the viewer to look through the sculpture and perceive the light that filters through its forms. This tension between weight and lightness, closedness and openness, becomes one of the hallmarks of his artistic language.
The work opens onto the surroundings through four appendages that engage with space and emptiness, central concepts in Eduardo Chillida's career and linked to his early architectural studies. From this perspective, the sculptor conceived each piece as a true construction in space. Praise of Iron III , with its imposing four meters in height and 18 tons in weight, was created in 1991 at the request of BBVA and installed on Bilbao's Gran Vía in 1998. For more than twenty years, it formed part of the urban landscape before being moved to Chillida Leku in 2018 to ensure its preservation.
The monumental piece reflects Chillida's transition toward geometric abstraction and the beginning of a period of international acclaim. It reflects the fusion of cultural roots and formal experimentation: iron, a symbol of resistance and tradition, is transformed into poetic and contemporary material.
“Eduardo Chillida’s sculpture is part of the history of BBVA and of Bilbao, a city in which we have strong roots and commitment, which is why I am particularly excited that it will be returning here so that all the people of Bilbao who stroll through Chillida Square at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum can enjoy it,” said BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila, adding that “we are proud that a work so closely linked to the history of BBVA and the identity of Bilbao can be part of this new era that, with the expansion and renovation underway, is now beginning for the Museum.”
