Museo Cristóbal Balenciaga — Attraction in Getaria

I was so happy to find out about this museum, when I planned my trip to Bilbao and San Sebastian. I cannot say you must come here if it is not on your way, but if you are in San Sebastian, or passing this area, it is definitely a place you want to visit, if you are fashion fans or not. The story of Balenciaga is very inspiring and his creations are art by every criteria. The building itself is one of those architecture monsters everyone with money likes to make, but it is attached to an amazing old house of the area architecture (Gateria) with significance to Balenciaga's life (watch the 23min movie at the entrance). The display itself is pretty modest (funny that they have all that space, for 6 medium size rooms of display - maybe it's a metaphor for his airy designs..?) Some features are very clever, like they have some replicas you can try on, and some that show the process etc. The originals are mostly stunning, but I was missing some of the iconic designs (maybe 2-3 of those are in). It is a beautiful 1-1,5 h visit, that enriches you with a local...

I have LOVED this museum. It was a Saturday afternoon and was surprisingly not very crowded, which was perfect for a calm and detailed visit. The current exhibit are very interesting. The main one is about Balenciaga’s designs and innovation, the se one one about his relationship with basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, and the third one about the frangeances. I wish I could have known in advance that the temperature in the rooms with the clothes would be so low, and I would have better prepared myself. It was crazy cold! Also, the final exhibit about perfumes is very interesting to see, but there are only a few fragrances that you can smell. It would have been amazing to have the possibility of smelling way more fragrances. Toilets are located before entering the exhibit, and at the end of the sixth room. Lockers are provided before entering the exhibit. Museum shop is small but nicely...

I guess that if you like fashion and clothing, then you might enjoy this. I don't particularly, so it left me mostly unsatisfied. The museum has 6 showrooms with tastefully presented women's dresses, which show the evolution across 5 decades of Balenciaga's work. Because I find the social norm of fashion futile, elitist and a wasteful expression of our consumerist society, I at least wanted to understand it as an art form. I tried to find out what drove the man, why he did what he did. I also wanted to understand the creative process of designing fashion, how the trade-offs between form and function are resolved, and perhaps the technology that goes into it (including how this itself evolves). These aspects where, in my opinion insufficiently addressed. A missed opportunity. This is my view, but I've heard of many people who enjoyed their visit, so do read other opinions too if...