Museu de l'Art Prohibit Opens in Barcelona, Showcasing Censored Artworks

A new museum dedicated to censored art, the Museu de l'Art Prohibit, has opened in Barcelona's Eixample district, near Plaça de Catalunya. Housed in an early 20th-century building designed by architect Enric Sagnier, the museum displays over two hundred artworks that were removed, censored, or denounced for political, social, or religious reasons. The collection was initiated by Catalan businessman Tatxo Benet, who acquired his first piece, Santiago Sierra's photographic series "Presos Políticos en la España Contemporánea," at ARCOmadrid 2018. The work, featuring twenty-four portraits of imprisoned Catalan cultural figures, was removed from the Galería Helga de Alvear stand shortly after purchase. Benet later added other works he recalled being banned in Barcelona museums. The two-floor exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, installations, and photographs by modern and contemporary artists such as Gustav Klimt, Ai Weiwei, Tania Bruguera, and Banksy. Notable pieces include Fabián Cháirez's 2014 painting "La Revolución," depicting revolutionary Emiliano Zapata on a horse wearing high-heeled shoes, which sparked debate in 2019 among agricultural union members and LGBTQIA+ activists. Also featured is Zanele Muholi's "Lena, London" (2018), addressing queer community recognition in South Africa, and Francisco Goya's anticlerical etching series "Los Caprichos" (1797-1799). The museum aims to explore the broad theme of censorship in art.