The morning's relentless rain forces us into a ride-share that takes us from San Sebastián (Donostia; 189,866 in 2025) to the town of Hernani (pop 20,375 in 2025). The driver asks if we know that Chillida Leku is an outdoor sculpture park, and we reply yes, we do. We expect to get wet.
The driver leaves us near the small 'Taquilla' (ticket office). Already wet, we shake off our coats, unload our bags in a locker, and check our reservations at the counter. Our tickets include a large, beautifully printed guía museo, which we leave in the locker, inside a dry bag. On the other side of the taquilla is a border garden of grasses wildflowers, then an expansive green hillside with a paved circular path.
The Museo Chillida Leku is the legacy of Eduardo Chillida and his wife, Pilar Belzunce de Carlos. A restored and converted farm, its public opening in September 2000 precedes Chillda''s passing by just two years. After its forced closure in 2010 from the financial crisis, the Fundación is now supported by Hauser & Wirth – and the Museo reopened in 2019.
A low lump of pink granite surrounded by perforated pavers, "Lo Profundo es el Aire XVII" (how profound is the air, 1997), sits at the start of the path. Its sharp, regular openings invite visual exploration while its split surfaces are streaked by the runoff. To our left, on the paved path, the curving metal "Monumento a la Tolerancia I" (1985) leads our eyes to the edge of the hill. There, the looming T-shaped "Lotura XXXII" (bond, 1998) matches the scale of the trees. The rain adds a glint to its edges.
As we head up the path, the solitary, monumental figure of the "Buscando la Luz I" (seeking the light, 1997) holds the center of the circle on our right. It is a shadowy, hollow, funnel-like form, eight meters (26 feet) tall, which captures flashes of sun from the clouds.
The weather in the País Vasco is consistent in its changeability; and maybe the Museo is best seen in the rain. It's hard to imagine that the artist, Chillida, has not accounted for the damp conditions and made the possibility part of the presentation. In any case, the weather has likely chased away any big crowds.
On our left, "Lotura XXVII" (1992) is a much smaller version of its larger, T-shaped sibling, like a spring shoot unfolding. In front of the larger "Lotura", "Lo Profundo es el Aire, Estela XVIII" (1998) shares its inspiration with the other pieces in the series:
Soy, más, estoy. Respiro.Lo profundo es el aire.La realidad me inventa.Soy su leyenda. ¡Salve![Jorge Guillén, "Más Allá" verse 15]
Further up the hill, "De Música III" (1989) is a low-set irregular quatrefoil with two vertical elements, and "Locmariaquer IX" (1989) is a creased and laminated cube like steel flaps folded over a cube of air. From this vantage, the sculptures begin a conversation with the lawn the tree line, and each other. And as we move from the south side of the park to the west, the rain turns to mist, and the colors and character of the environment and the pieces change, from ominous to optimistic.
"Escuchando a la Piedra IV" (listening to the stone, 1996), a standing chunk of pink granite, resembles a "Profundo" that is cut through, but the 'voids' are still filled. Behind this, the "Consejo al Espacio IV" (advice to space, 1987) also appears to be a group of embryonic "Buscando" light-scoops, grasping at the air.
The "Homenaje a Balenciaga" (homage to Balenciaga, 1990) marks the top of the hill. The twin slabs with small rings of steel on their edges that nearly form a corner and suggest a coat wrapping a figure emerging from the forest.
The "Peine del Viento XVII" (wind comb, 1990) remind us of our introduction to San Sebastián and the "Peine del Viento XV" (1977). With this on the left of the path, and the tall and elegant "Besarkada XIV" (embrace, 1997) on the right, the two create a gate to the Museo's eastern side, which transitions from an open lawn to a tree-lined park.
The "Gora Bera III "(up down, 1993) hides behind the "Peine", its short, blocky figure blending with the hedges. The "Arco de la Libertad" (arch of freedom, 1993) makes a futile attempt to hide behind a tree beyond the "Besarkada".
The "Homenaje a Luca Pacioli" (1986) is a flat table of steel occupying a clearing between the trees, the horizontal surface brightened by the collected puddle on its surface. By contrast, "Elogio de la Arquitectura XV" (praise of architecture, 1996) is a bulbous chunk of metal with pierced apertures. The "Consejo al Espacio VII" (1996) is a bent structure that creates a dark room under the canopy. As the path turns south, a private house faces the Museo and hosts the "Lotura XXVI" (1992), another sprig of steel.
This eastern loop brings us past the "Consejo al Espacio VIII" (2000) an edition of the "Consejo" series with thinner, vertical 'scoops', and the "Homenaje a Braque" (homage to Braque, 1997) which might be taken for one side or a flattened version of the "Arquitectura".
The "Basoa IV" (forest, 1997) is another monumental piece in the lower woods, that both stand out and blends into the trunks and branches. "Harri IV" (stone, 1991) is broken block of granite; the circular cuts of the ill-fitting upper piece are misshapen with a sense of precision.
The loop then leads up the hill toward another open lawn area. The rain quickens and chases us into the farmhouse.
"Lo Profundo es el Aire, Estela XIII" (1990), like the other "Profundo" pieces, offers yet another welcome and directs us toward the cover of a dry porch; umbrellas lean on the posts and scatter around the benches against the stone wall. The restoration of this sixteenth-century farmhouse, the Caseíro Zabalaga, is a collaboration with Jaoquin Montero. The entrance from the porch offers a thoughtful place to shake off the drops as well as take in the view of the hill down towards the stream and the parking lot.
Despite the portly, rustic timbers and the rubble stonework, the interior feels light and airy. "Consejo al Espacio VI" (1996), a dusky metal playpen and mini edition from the "Consejo" series, is on the floor just inside the door. Its dull, planar presence compliments the textured stone arch and skylit, double-height loft space. Thus, the space is stacked vertically and layered horizontally, with "Harri II" (1991), a finely incised, smooth granite block, on the other side of the arch. And "Gravitación" (1988), made from folded and cut industrial felt, hangs on the wall in line with the other works.
To the side, "Homenaje a la Mar IV" (1998) is an enormous, round piece of alabaster, with stripes chiselled around the sides and maze-like curves cut into the top. "Lo Profundo es el Aire IV" (1987) is tucked into the near corner. A wooden stair rises from the far corner, from a raised floor under the loft. A group of framed sketches hangs above the stairs and begins to take us into Chillida's process. The drawings show hands, leaves, seed pods, small branches; such delicate studies belie the industrial-scale art we've seen on the grounds.
In the loft, smaller iron and wood pieces include: "Hierros de Temblor III" (1957), a tumble of metal plates; "Sueño Articulado, Homenaje a Gaston Bachelard" (1958), metal extrusions with a 'tail' trying to lift itself, and "Ilarik II (Estela)" (1954), a solemn, rough-sawn wood column with smaller blocks shaved at the top.
The smaller pieces look like studies for various larger pieces, such as "Lo Profundo es el Aire XIX" (1998) made from a round white stone, roughly the size of a beachball. Our progress is stopped by a tour in the next room, so we descend back to the ground level and wait them out.
We take this opportunity to get a closer look at "Gravitación", how it's suspended and folded. We also notice Chillida's glyph near the right edge. It's interesting to see how the fabric has a 'grain', and how edges of the felt have developed a bit of a patina. It's also such a simple move: the 'nose' is cut and suspended over the edge from where it was removed – it results in a kind of buck-toothed grin.
Yet, Chillida's handling of this 'soft' material is no different from his attitude to the granite in "Harri II". It requires a few well-placed and precisely proportioned cuts into the body, giving it a 'lift', like a rising loaf.
Standing near "Lo Profundo es el Aire IV" (1987), we look out the window to "Lo Profundo es el Aire, Estela XII" (1990), and we are seeing double.
The loft has cleared, the tour is on the porch sorting umbrellas, and we return up the stairs. In the back room, we explore an exhibition of shadowboxes of "Gravitaciones, collage" (1986-94) in relative peace. The quantity, variety, and the inventiveness of the work is inspiring. Some have a sense of 'figure-ground', and present as 'architectural'; others included written notes, lists of ideas in Spanish; still others incorporate drawings of hands and wandering lines.
This exhibit is a revelation: personal, beautifully presented, and illustrative of the breadth of Chillida's relentless imagination. We luxuriate in the intimate access to the details, textures, and layered forms that the larger pieces just don't offer.
Back outside, on the western side of the the Caseíro Zabalaga we find "Esertoki III" (place to sit, 1990). The rectilinear cutouts on one side almost mirror each other over the fold, and the damp surfaces also reflect the same shapes. On this side we understand Montero's interventions, which provides an over-sized glazed opening for the movement of the sculptures and a wide clerestory to supply light to the interior gallery.
Through the rain, we amble down the hill to lunch with a new appreciation for the works.
Lunch is in the Museo's restaurant, 'Lurra Café', and despite the lack of choice due to location and weather, the meal is excellent. Also, the Café allows guests to browse a small library of Chillida's books and catalogs.
Attached to the restaurant is the 'Sala Pilar' which houses are collection of photographs as a video that encapsulate the both the creative and manufacturing processes. A loud, enthusiastic woman in being interviewed near the video, so we wait for the recording to conclude and take a seat. It's still raining, so we wait here and watch.
After lunch and the movie, we make one more lap of the grounds. By now, the sun and the clouds are doing battle; the shine, the shadows, and the reflections are more intense.
Near the "Besarkada", we discover "Escuchando a la Piedra III" (1996) with its two square 'eyes'. It's not as tall as its sibling near the center of the western lawn, but it wears a crooked smile. The rain has avoided the inset squares; thus they appear to be made from different stone.
The tour ends, as they often do, in the 'Tienda' (store). By the time we finish shopping, the clouds have parted and the rain has finally given way. We catch the bus back into town.
