Introduction

In the year 1997, Frank Gehry opened the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain as part of efforts to revitalise the previously derelict port city and since being built the museum had become a massively successful tourist spot attracting attention internationally and transforming and improving the local economy of the city (Hedgecoe & Whittle 2012). This led critics to use the term ‘Bilbao effect’ because of the many different cities that tried to replicate the success of Bilbao and increase their own economic growth (Forgey, 2002). Similarly, in 2002 as part of ongoing regeneration in Salford Quays Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind was awarded commission by the Imperial War Museum organisation to build the Imperial War Museum North (Niesewand, 1997). This essay aims to discuss how Gehry and the Bilbao effect has influenced the way iconic museum architecture is viewed and portrayed using the Imperial War Museum North as an example.