About this place
Puppy is the beloved giant sculpture that sits before the city-side entrance of the Guggenheim Museum, a colossal West Highland white terrier, more than twelve metres tall, whose whole body is covered in a coat of thousands of living, flowering plants. It was created by the American artist Jeff Koons and, though originally made for an exhibition in Germany in 1992, it was acquired for Bilbao and became an instant and permanent favourite, affectionately regarded as the guardian of the museum. The planting is changed twice a year, so Puppy blooms in different colours with the seasons, a riot of marigolds, petunias, begonias and more. Cheerful, monumental and faintly absurd, it embodies the playful spirit of contemporary art and has become, alongside the museum itself, one of the most photographed and loved sights in all of Bilbao.
Key facts
- 1992 year — Jeff Koons created the giant floral sculpture, later acquired for Bilbao
- 12 metres — The towering flower-covered terrier stands over twelve metres tall
- 2 times — The living flowers are replanted twice a year, changing Puppy's colours
📍 Lehendakari Leizaola kalea 2, 48009, Bilbao