How much is what we learn from art amplified by the space it's located in? To judge by the relationship between design and curation at Guggenheim Bilbao, a lot. The Art of Our Time: Masterpieces From The Guggenheim Collections marks the 20th anniversary of the partnership between the Guggenheim Foundation and Guggenheim Bilbao. In this show art works that have previously hung in the Guggenheim New York embody different meanings. Shown in sequence, Cy Twombly 's early 1960s Nine Discourses on Commodus crescendos from dense and thick to light and fluttery, then back again. All displayed on the second floor in a gallery measuring 427 feet long, not an option in New York. 'Many people think that the size and shape of the Guggenheim Bilbao would restrict our curation and content. But it's really not the case' said the show’s curator Álvaro Rodríguez Fominaya, on the eve of the exhibition's opening — ‘It's a free liberating space’ he concluded.  

The Art of Our Time: Masterpieces From The Guggenheim Collections is representative of the Guggenheim ethos. Rather than structure works in chronological order, the art flows as a narrative, from impressions of the city in the 1930s to the bombastic colours of de Kooning and Yves Klein. There's particular focus on emerging and established artist from China, Vietnam and Korea. Ik-Joong Kang's Moon Jars take up a large amount of the exhibition space on the lower ground floor. In this piece Kang has glazed porcelain jars with enamel paint then displayed them in a series of circles that close in on themselves. There are two intricate architectural pieces by Lee Bul —Against Oblivion and Drifting Ashen Flake Opaque (both 2008) which feel as though they're folding in on themselves. It’s the exact opposite of the design of Bilbao Guggenheim, which gives the feeling of opening up as you enter each room. 

Despite clocking in at about 12 feet, Ai Weiwei's China Log is a subtle presence and is located in a corner of the room. It was an intentional decision, why show off when you don't have to? Instead, Weiwei's sculpture — hollowed with an ambiguous shape throughout — sits dignified in the corner, alive with purpose. 

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which will open on Saadiyat Island in 2017, have contributed a piece to the collection. A big, bright and beautiful hand stitched work by Ghanaian artist El Anatsui. It's an insight into what the Abu Dhabi collections might hold. Earth’s Skin by Anatsui is made using old coffee packets which are cut into lozenge shapes then sewn together to form a quilt of textures and fabrics, the effect is reminiscent of early Klimt. 

The outdoor works at Guggenheim Bilbao are striking and well known — Louise Bourgeois’s spider, the puppy by Jeff Koons and Anish Kapoor’s Tall Tree & The Eye all utilise the unique positioning, both geographically and architecturally, the museum holds. As you approach the building from the river a tone-on-tone landscape of silver can be seen, comprised of Kapoor’s silver globes, the spider and the shimmering building itself. It's a fitting testament to Guggenheim Bilbao's commitment to working alongside a city and it’s architecture, not against it.

The Art of Our Time: Masterpieces From The Guggenheim Collections runs from 23 October - 3 May 2015.