Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum Expands To New Madrid Location

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid is expanding to a second location, a few blocks from its current site, to alleviate gallery overcrowding, El Pais reported. This expansion project is projected to conclude in 2032.

Known as the Ice and Automobile Palace, the new 107,639-square-foot building is situated in Madrid's Literary Quarter. This city-owned space has been vacant since 2007 and will undergo a €70 million ($80.8 million) renovation before reopening as part of the museum. The new venue will display more than 360 works by 21st-century artists from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation's contemporary art collection, known as TBA21. This collection was established by Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, daughter of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, who founded the museum in 1992.

A critical factor in securing the deal was Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza's decision to donate 186 works, valued at nearly €16 million ($18.5 million), from her personal collection, integrating them into the broader Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. Additionally, she guaranteed a long-term loan of 179 pieces worth €10 million ($11.5 million).“My dream is not only to bring our collection to this new museum, but to give it a place worthy of what we have built over this time,” said Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture, remarked on the museum's 1992 opening, stating,“More than 30 years ago, the Thyssen family and the Spanish government made it possible for one of the world's greatest art collections to become available to the public. Today, this museum receives more than a million visitors, and this palace has become too small. This announcement is a giant step towards creating a larger, more open museum. Where we currently have a closed building, we want to see exhibitions, schools holding workshops, researchers working, restorers caring for the artworks, concerts, conferences, and spaces open to the public tomorrow; because we don't simply want a bigger museum, we want a more useful museum.”

The agreement was reached after months of negotiations between various government ministries, the museum, and the Thyssen family. The Minister of Finance Arcadi España announced that the government will transfer the new building to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation.“We cannot incorporate new works of art into our collections unless they are donations or loans from the Thyssen family,” added Guillermo Solana, the Thyssen's artistic director.

The new location will also house the 21st-century art collection of Borja Thyssen, the Baron's son, and his wife Blanca Cuesta. Other museum departments, including“the archive, the works storage facility, the restoration workshop, the activities center, etc.,” will relocate to the new building, according to Solana. A section of the building will also host a memorial center for terrorism victims, managed by the Ministry of the Interior.

The Ministry of Finance, through the Directorate General of State Heritage, will fund the building's renovation. The Ministry of Culture and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum will cover costs for museography, equipment, and furnishings. The Ministry of Culture is expected to launch an architectural design competition for the renovation this year, with the winning design drafted between 2027 and 2028, and construction slated to begin in 2029.

Source: ARTnews

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