MNAC Barcelona Opens Permanent Collection Expansion on Spanish Civil War Art
In July 2021, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona inaugurated a new permanent collection dedicated to art from the Spanish Civil War. This collection showcases approximately 100 pieces created by 43 artists, many of which had never been displayed before, including works by Catalan creators. A notable feature is the recreation of the Spanish Republic Pavilion from the 1937 Paris Expo, which originally displayed Picasso's Guernica. Most of the artworks, believed to be lost after 1938, were found again in the 1980s. The 2021 offerings also include Antoni Campañà's photography exhibition La guerra infinita and Francesc Torres's installation Aeronautica (volo). The museum, originally built for the 1929 Barcelona Universal Expo, underwent renovations by Gae Aulenti, and since 2012, Director Pepe Serra has been reorganizing the collection.
Key facts
- MNAC opened a new permanent collection wing on Spanish Civil War art in early July 2021.
- The wing features about 100 works by 43 Catalan artists, many never exhibited before.
- A section reconstructs the Spanish Republic Pavilion from the 1937 Paris Expo.
- Works from the pavilion were rediscovered in the early 1980s in a Palau Nacional storage room.
- Antoni Campañà's exhibition La guerra infinita shows recently found negatives from 2018.
- The iconic photograph Miliciana en las barricadas was identified as Campañà's work.
- Francesc Torres's installation Aeronautica (volo) interiore is displayed in the oval hall.
- The museum building was originally the national pavilion for the 1929 Barcelona Expo.
- Gae Aulenti renovated the museum between the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- Pepe Serra has been director since 2012 and reorganized the permanent collection.
Entities
Artists
- Antoni Campañà
- Francesc Torres
- Pere Serra
- Pablo Picasso
- Joan Miró
- Sergi Aguilar
- Alex Mitrani
- Antoni Tàpies
- Lluís Dalmau
- El Greco
- Lucas Cranach the Elder
- Diego Velázquez
- Beato Angelico
- Mateo Cerezo
- Darío Villalba
- Carmen Calvo
- José María Sicilia
- Evru/Zush
- Gae Aulenti
- José Lluis Sert
- Mies van der Rohe
- Federica Lonati
Institutions
- Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
- Fundació Suñol
- Fundació Joan Miró
- Museo Arqueológico de Barcelona
- Pueblo Espanyol
- Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
- Artribune
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Montjuïc
- Rome
- Santiago de Compostela
- Paris
- Germany