The Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao)

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain is celebrated as a masterpiece of deconstructivism. Having considered 29 different materials, he discovered that titanium’s color glinted beautifully under Bilbao’s often-gray, rainy skies and, by sheer luck, the price of titanium briefly dropped below the price of stainless steel making the choice final. Gehry’s wild, boat-like shapes were heavily inspired by Pablo Picasso’s 1911 cubist painting, The Accordionist.