The juxtaposition between establishment and censorship is beautifully framed in this recently opened museum showcasing censored art in Barcelona. Accommodated within one of the Eixample’s most prestigious addresses, just off Rambla Catalunya. The Casa Garriga Nogués was designed by prolific architect Enric Sagnier y Villavecchia for the eponymous family of bankers between the years 1899 and 1901. Its Neo-Classical language celebrates an alternative current to the then fashionable Modernisme presaging a return to a more rational architectural expression. Now the building contains a private collection of eclectic art pieces belonging to business mogul and journalist Tatxo Benet. All of the artworks share the ignominy of having been censored for one reason or another over the years, drawn from Spain and elsewhere featuring a who’s who of polemic creatives on the international art scene.
The generous entrance which once accommodated horse drawn carriages opens to a central atrium with its sweeping sculptural marble staircase illuminated by a skylight drawing visitors upwards. The white stone is washed by golden light from the stained-glass ceiling with delicate rococo detailing created by the renowned Antoni Rigalt i Blanch atelier. A cantilevered brass rail traces the vertical circulation along the fan shaped stair treads towards the piano nobile where the living quarters of the previous Garriga Nogués residence contain the artworks. These exhibition spaces are organised around the atrium where the various pieces create a dialogue with the surrounding architecture. This relationship is generous and calm, often with just a single piece displayed within a room, the beautiful materials of the original building create an otherworldly context for contemplating the works. Reception rooms, circulation zones and service areas are transformed into a museological route that extends outdoors to the terrace within the city block courtyard.
One of the gallery spaces previously used as a smoking room occupies an annexe facing c/ Diputació with its original stained-glass windows and a singular work, McJesus by Jani Leinonen, symmetrically placed on the end wall. Every other surface including the vaulted ceiling is painted entirely in marine blue. Another installation, Silence Bleu by Zoulikha Bouabdellah takes up almost the entire floor surface of a room with a series of prayer matts and shoes contrasted against the artisanal mosaic floors of the found space. The ground floor area contains additional gallery space featuring larger scale works as well as areas that can be used for institutional events and presentations.
The works, some 200 in total, are saturated with backstory, although they can be viewed on their own artistic merits there is necessarily a lot of explanation required to fully appreciate the depth of these works. The lighting and mise-en-scène are used to great effect and help to create an intimate space between the viewer and the works where they can be contemplated. The scale of the collection combined with the size of the museum, 2,000 sq.m. distributed over two floors allows for thoughtful interaction with the subject matter.
The collection is inevitably a subjective point of view but assessed by some of the most important figures on the Spanish art scene. It includes a wide range of traditional media and techniques, including multimedia and interactive sculptural works. Drawn mostly, but not exclusively, from the late 20th Century and contemporary artists the pieces explore sexual, religious, political and cultural mores. Visitors are provided with audio support via Wi-Fi and the institution sponsors a programme of parallel activities including literature, dance, cinema and the plastic arts to widen the scope of freedom of expression. Collaborative publications, debates, conferences and guided visits.
Museu de l’Art Prohibit, C/ Diputació, 250, 08007Barcelona, www.museuartprohibit.org
Recent Comments