Superstar Museums and global media exposure: mapping the positioning of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao through networks

Abstract

Superstar architecture can play a key role in the global positioning of museums in influential mass media, thereby successfully attracting cultural tourism (e.g. the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, GMB). Yet, an evident shortcoming is the mapping of media positioning. The aim of this article is precisely to draw and visualize this positioning of the GMB through networks. Two innovative features characterize this study: first, from a theoretical point of view, it links the debate on Superstar Museums to the broader economic debate on Superstar Economics. Akin to Rosen's hypothesis, in the case of Superstar Museums, the media exposure is concentrated among a handful of museums. In this context, the authors highlight the role of networks. The central nodes in the networks utilized for the study, depict/stand for museums that have the maximum visibility in the international media. The second innovative feature of the article is the analysis of co-citation networks in articles of the New York Times for two periods (1995-2000 and 2014-2019). The network graphs map the results of this article: the GMB positioned itself effectively with its inauguration in 1997. In addition, 20 years later the GMB still remains quite well positioned.

“You must go here”: architecture, yelp and the tourist gaze

“…Mediation thereby is integral to the relationship between tourists and architecture, with the visibility of buildings made possible through representation and circulation in a variety of traditional and new media formats (Plaza et al, 2022). Tourism operators are aware of the power of images of architecture and their capacity to influence gazing (Cheong and Miller, 2000), a power that is enhanced as tourist experiences have been mediated through postcards, posters, advertisements, brochures and websites.…”

“…, 1977). In recent decades, spectacular, iconic works of architecture created by celebrity starchitects have been used to provide “global visibility” for cities (Plaza et al. , 2022) and instrumentalised within city branding agendas (Bonakdar and Audirac, 2020; Kaika, 2010).…”

“…Mediation thereby is integral to the relationship between tourists and architecture, with the visibility of buildings made possible through representation and circulation in a variety of traditional and new media formats (Plaza et al. , 2022).…”

“…Iconic buildings have few references to history or place and are formally exceptional, resisting adaptation to changing tastes or styles (Venturi et al, 1977). In recent decades, spectacular, iconic works of architecture created by celebrity starchitects have been used to provide "global visibility" for cities (Plaza et al, 2022) and instrumentalised within city branding agendas (Bonakdar and Audirac, 2020;Kaika, 2010). Iconic buildings have been shown to be important elements within the network of "relational spaces" that "order" contemporary tourist practices, even if they are often not sufficient on their own to reinvigorate a destination (Franklin, 2016; for an in-depth analysis of visitation effects of three star architecture projects, see Alaily-Mattar et al, 2021).…”

Reviewing the “Bilbao effect” inside and beyond the Guggenheim: Its coming of age in sprawling cultural landscapes

“…Since its inauguration in 1997, and even before, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao has been a media phenomenon. At only 5 years of age, it had more than a hundred million references in the international press, which by the end of its first decade amounted to over 10,000 articles, more than 60% corresponding to journals published outside Spain, with a remarkable coverage from New York newspapers, which have always had a beady eye on it (Del Cerro, 2006: 102–103; Plaza et al., 2021: 60–61). The mass media acclaimed its “effect,” a keyword ubiquitous in the ever‐growing academic bibliography, including notable books specifically devoted to this museum, its architecture and urban impact (Esteban, 2000, 2007; Faires, 2007; Frías Sagardoy, 2001; Guasch & Zulaika, 2005; Merino González, 2003; Tellitu et al., 1997; Zulaika, 1997, 2003).…”