Asia: Courting The Guggenheim

Asian cities are still wooing the New York-based contemporary-art institution. For many, especially here in the greater China region, the specter of cloning Bilbao’s boom is just too seductive. The Bilbao model has strong appeal in Asia, which is warming up to an idea the West realized long ago. Cities can prosper by attracting creative industries — architecture, art, music and publishing — and establishing themselves as animated places to live.