The "la Caixa" Foundation creates ArtStudio CaixaForum to house the leading private collection in Europe
The mayoress of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Núria Marín, accompanied the president of the "la Caixa" Foundation, Isidre Fainé, to announce today an agreement to convert a warehouse in L'Hospitalet that is currently used to house part of the "la Caixa" Foundation's collection of works of art into a new cultural centre called ArtStudio CaixaForum. The aim is to house Europe's leading private collection, which has a unique and singular heritage, comprising 1,069 works by 445 artists, including Bruce Nauman, Gerhardt Richter, Sigmar Polke, Doris Salcedo, Mona Hatoum, Cristina Iglesias, Tacita Dean, Cindy Sherman, Juan Muñoz, Pierre Huyghe, Antoni Tàpies, Ignasi Aballí and Soledad Sevilla.
- A meeting point for art professionals and a space for research
- An industrial and cultural fabric, the cornerstone of the Brooklyn of Barcelona
- The architectural project
- A collection with forty years of history
- Spain's first private collection
With the refurbishment and extension of the building, which will involve an investment of 12 million euros, the institution aims to contribute to giving new life to the warehouse, which is conceived as a future centre of national reference. At the same time, the new infrastructure will bring together all the works of art from the "la Caixa" Foundation's Contemporary Art Collection in a single space that will have great potential for the conservation, restoration and storage of unique works.
At present, all the works in the Collection are stored in CaixaForum Barcelona and the aforementioned warehouse, but after working with two sites for two decades, these spaces have reached the limit of their storage capacity. Hence the idea of concentrating all the works, the conservation workshop and laboratory, and the collection equipment in this space, as well as including the common uses of the entire Exhibition and Collection Area, which will free up space in CaixaForum Barcelona so that from now on this centre will have more capacity and will be able to increase its activity.
The refurbishment of the building, which will have a total surface area of 10,000 square metres, is scheduled to begin in mid-2024 and will be operational in 2026.
In the words of the President of the "la Caixa" Foundation, Isidre Fainé: "ArtStudio CaixaForum represents the high point of forty years of work with our Collection and ratifies our commitment to disseminating art and culture as drivers of social transformation. With this project we want to give even more value to this unique heritage and continue working on the connection with the most vivid reality of art today and on the capacity to create associations and establish links between art and the world around us".
On the other hand, the Mayoress of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Núria Marín, declared: "L'Hospitalet is a culturally very lively city. Since the Cultural District was set up, one of its objectives as a strategic city project has been to promote collaboration between artistic and cultural agents and other agents, entities and institutions. Now, with the arrival of the ArtStudio CaixaForum Collection, we are bringing a unique and singular heritage to our artists and creative artists, and strengthening a district that has never stopped growing and that includes new artistic and creative proposals day after day, consolidating it as a cultural reference in our country".
The Contemporary Art Collection of the "la Caixa" Foundation, which was created in the mid-1980s, has become the leading private collection in Spain and a benchmark in Europe. Among some of its most relevant characteristics, we would highlight the following: 1. It was created with a vocation for public service so that everyone could have access to culture and new ways of thinking, and also with the aim of generating sensitivity towards the most up-to-date art. 2. The "la Caixa" Foundation anticipated the need and demand of the time, bearing in mind that at that time there were hardly any contemporary art collections or museums. 3. It stands out for its desire to be an international collection, as well as to support the art scene in our country and emerging artists. 4. It has been a pioneer in pedagogical work and activities linked to exhibitions. 5. Continuity throughout these almost forty years is one of its most recognised characteristics.
A meeting point for art professionals and a space for research
The building that will house the centre, built in 1976 and owned by the "la Caixa" Foundation, aspires to be a think tank that will allow art, culture and thought professionals from Spain and abroad to meet to study and disseminate works both in terms of content and the scientific conservation of heritage. It is designed to be open to visits by interest groups and groups of professionals, and through seminars for the sector and activities that will bring the conservation of artistic heritage closer to the public.
On the other hand, the new space will allow research into the materials that make up the Collection through projects led jointly by the "la Caixa" Foundation and universities and research centres from all over the world.
The project, a pioneer in Spain, is in line with the European trend set by major museum institutions that have built spaces for their collections and have given them a value that goes beyond their custodial and conservation functions.
An industrial and cultural fabric, the cornerstone of the Brooklyn of Barcelona
ArtStudio CaixaForum will be located in the Cultural District of L'Hospitalet, specifically on the corner of Carrer de Leonardo da Vinci and Avinguda del Carrilet, in a new area that the city wants to allocate to the location of companies linked to creativity and cultural activity.
The entity has selected the architectural project by Pretel Arquitectura, which has worked on the reform of the Sala Anexa of the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, the reform of the stands of the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, the renovation and complete reform of the D532 offices of Colonial and the adaptation of the spaces of CaixaForum Barcelona. He is currently collaborating with the "la Caixa" Foundation on projects for different CaixaForum cultural centres.
The architectural project
The architectural proposal consists of creating a building with an identity that meets both the needs and purposes of the "la Caixa" Foundation and those of its surroundings, within the industrial and cultural fabric of the city. In this way, it will become mainly a warehouse for works of art, equipped with all the infrastructures necessary for good conservation, restoration and storage. In this line, it proposes the extension of a basement and a side plot, two vehicle accesses and two accesses for the centre's staff and personnel; the design of the spaces and circulations inside the building, and the implementation of an optimal office space and work areas with natural light, always respecting sustainability criteria.
ArtStudio CaixaForum will be made up of spaces with different uses, such as the conservation, study, management and storage of works that require strict climatic conditions (light, temperature and humidity) for their conservation. It will also have spaces for storing works, packaging, museum furniture and equipment, audiovisual equipment and furniture for senior management offices that do not require climate conditions with restrictive parameters. There will also be another unit to provide logistical, technical and maintenance support for the new warehouse, as well as spaces to house the installations, machinery and equipment necessary for the correct functioning of the building.
A collection with forty years of history
The Contemporary Art Collection of the "la Caixa" Foundation is a collection of works of art by renowned artists and young creators that is a benchmark in Europe. It is an account of the art of the last 40 years that evolves with a sensitive eye to the continuous expansion of art and the constant renewal of culture.
With 194 exhibitions presented to date and more than 585,000 visitors in the last year, the Collection encompasses all artistic practices, from painting and sculpture to photography, film, installations and video art. It also takes as its starting point the personality of the creators to show the diversity of options and the wealth of visual and conceptual discourses of contemporary art.
With a public service vocation, the main aim of the "la Caixa" Foundation's Contemporary Art Collection is to break down the barrier that separates a large part of society from art and culture. For this reason, the institution regularly organises exhibitions in various CaixaForum centres and other institutions throughout Spain and other European countries, the Americas and Asia, always accompanied by informative activities to publicise this heritage and disseminate the spirit of the Collection: the connection with the most vivid reality of the art of our times and the capacity to create associations and establish links between art and the world around us. The Collection is also committed to society, which is the object and mirror of art; to professionals, who explore meaning; to artists, who imagine, reflect and question; and to the public, who are the recipients of their creations.
Spain's first private collection
From its inception to the present day, the Collection has forged alliances with major national and international institutions. Since 2000, it has made a total of 747 loans of works of art in response to requests from other institutions. Today it maintains a very rigorous acquisitions programme, which represents active support for the art market and young artistic creation.
The Contemporary Art Collection of the "la Caixa" Foundation is the first private collection in Spain with the will to be international. It currently has an international advisory committee for acquisitions and people of recognised authority in the field of contemporary art.