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Get to know our collection, our exhibitions and our full range of activities

Itsasmuseum tells the story of a culture: a maritime culture. The close links that Bilbao and Bizkaia and their people have maintained with the sea have forged a unique identity and unique traditions, which are featured in all areas of our exhibitions and programme of events.

Permanent Exhibition

Temporary Exhibitions

Selma Huxley: discovering the Basques in 16th-century Terra Nova

A pioneering scientist and historian of international renown. Her work, of great relevance to the maritime history of the Basque Country and Canada, focused on the little-known Basque expeditions to Terra Nova, today's Atlantic coast of Canada, during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Mal tiempo. Holanda

Itsasmuseum has received the temporary loan of the work Mal tiempo. Holanda by Álvaro Alcalá Galiano (Bilbao, 1873-Paracuellos del Jarama, Madrid, 1936) as part of the program The Invited Work, signed by the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum and Itsasmuseum Bilbao. This is the fifth received on loan by this institution since 2018 and it does so at a very special time, as May 21, 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the artist's birth.

Life between tides

Life between tides is a project that simultaneously hosts two complementary exhibitions that propose a journey through the history of the Bilbao Estuary: one in the Punta Begoña Galleries in Getxo and the other in Itsasmuseum Bilbao, two strategic locations in an estuary that has marked the history of Bizkaia for centuries.

Erain

ERAIN Shipwrighting

A social innovation project that seeks to revive 20th century shipwrighting in Bizkaia. It comprises an exhibition, a live workshop and the vessels in the collection at the Euskalduna docks

Large Sailing Ships Programme

Large Sailing
Ships Programme

Under this programme, Itsasmuseum welcomes large sailing ships from all over the world throughout the year. These historical vessels generally offer open days, guided tours and activities on board for all ages.