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The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection in Madrid
World of Museums The ‘World of Museums’ section brings together a wide range of museum developments and issues of more than local significance. Consequently, the Editors welcome for it any germane information, including press releases and cuttings, reports, photographs and other relevant material, especially from minority language areas.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza
Collection in Madrid
In the former Villahermosa Palace in Madrid, the collection of Baron ThyssenBornemisza has now found its final home, and the location is superb-opposite the Ritz, next to the Palace Hotel and virtually across the road from the Prado. The Villahermosa Palace is a large, plain, brick building of the late 18th century, but the interior has been completely gutted and remodelled by the Spanish architect, Rafael Moneo. The result is a clean, spacious, well-ordered interior, very much in line with current ideas as to how a modern museum should look. The main entrance is from a courtyard at the end of the building, just off the main street, and the standard entrance fee (1993) is 600 pesetas ($3). Inside, the layout is predictablecoats to the left, shop to the right, turnstiles ahead, and stairs down to the basement galleries devoted to special exhibitions. This, in December 1993, was devoted to a large exhibition of works on paper, From Impressionism to the Avuntgarde. Once through the turnstiles, there is a large central atrium, dominated by four large portraits of the King and Queen of Spain, and of the Baron and Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza. The less said about the artistic quality of these portraits the better, but Spain has every reason to be grateful to the Baroness, a former Miss Barcelona, for bringing the Collection to Madrid. A small part of the Collection is also on show at the Monastery of Pedralbes, in her native Barcelona. In June 1993, the government of Spain agreed to purchase the entire Collection, and to support the Foundation which now administers it. At a stroke, it has added a substantial new element to the cultural attractions of Madrid, one which is already proving highly popular. There have been 685,000 visitors in its first year, and even in mid-December there were long queues. Consequently, the best advice would be to be there at opening time-10.00--or during lunch, when the queue evaporated. The galleries are arranged on three floorrs, and the visitor is encouraged to take the lift up to the second floor, where the displays of Italian, Flemish and German Old Masters are to be found. This is the core of the Collection, and is in many ways the most impressive. In particular, it contains most of the great Dutch, Flemish and German pictures acquired by the Baron’s father. On the first floor there are additional Dutch 17th century pictures, including still lifes, together with 18th century pictures, 19th century European and American pictures, 0260-4779/94/010067-14
@ 1994 Butter-worth-Heinemann
Ltd
68
World
af Museums 1. Exterior of the late 18th century Viflahermosa Palace, Madrid, after its restoration and conversion by Rafael Moneo (1990-92) into a museum to house the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. The new Museum opened to the public in October 1992.
2. Central atrium created by Rafael Moneo in the Vi~~ahermosa Paiace, Madrid, as part of its adaptation to display the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. With 685,000 visitors in its first year, entrance fees and sales receipts cover most of its operating costs.
World of Museums
3. Interior of Gallery 12 on the second floor of the Villahermosa Palace, with a display of Early Baroque art including works by Bernini and Caravaggio. The new Museum is operated by the Fundacion Thyssen-Bornemisza.
4. Enfilade of first floor galleries in the Villahermosa Palace with 17th century Dutch and other Old Master paintings in the ThyssenBornemisza Collection on display.
69
World of Museums
70
works by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and several rooms devoted to the German Expressionists, an area in which the collection is predictably strong. One surprise is to find a room of good American 18th and 19th century paintings, and, in the context of permanent collections, this must be the first attempt by any European museum to come to terms with American art. Descending again, the ground floor is devoted to 20th century art: Cubism, Russian Constructivism, and the Modernist canon in Europe and the USA. The English artists included are Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David Hackney, R.B. but it is the range of the collection-literally from Kitaj and Henry Moore, Giotto to Jackson Pollock-that commands respect. Where else can one see a collection that attempts to embrace the whole of European painting, from the 14th century to the 2Oth? In spite of the comments of some critics, the overall effect is extraordinarily impressive, and almost every picture is a good example of its kind. The Thyssens have been well advised, and bought the best available at the time, so there is very little ‘museum dross’ in this collection. The rooms are spacious and airy; the walls mainly white, the lighting unobtrusive and good. The pictures are well spaced, and the arrangement of the collection very well planned and arranged. There is a very clear sense of historical progression, without it becoming too confusing. Although to my taste it is a little too clinical, with a collection of such wide range, this was perhaps inevitable. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection is strong where the Prado is weak, or non-existent, so taken together, they complement each other very well. Thus, with the Prado, the Buen Retiro, the Sorella, the Lazaro-Galdiano, the Reina Christina Museum of Modern Art (where Guernicd is now shown) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid’s position as one of the great cultural capitals of the world has been further enhanced. Photo
Credits:
Fundacion
Coleccion
Thyssen-Bornemisza,
Madrid. CHRISTOPHER
WOOD
Kalman Collection of English Naive Art Saved From Dispersal In 1987 the Museum of English Naive Art was opened in Bath, displaying the collection formed by Andras Kalman, but by the summer of 1992 the future of both museum and collection was uncertain (see ‘The Last Chance for a National Collection of English Naive Art’ in this journal, 11 (1992), pp.419-20). Indeed, Andras Kalman’s collection had been threatened with dispersal to the four winds, though it is probably the most important collection of English naive art in the United Kingdom, a country which has to date placed so little value on its naive art. There is no collection of any note in the British public museums and art galleries, and all too much has been lost through neglect over the years. At the last moment, the Peter Moore’s Foundation stepped in and has bought the collection. Its importance was brought to the Foundation’s attention through a determined campaign by a group of enthusiasts intent upon saving the
The Thyssen-Bornemisza
Collection in Madrid
In the former Villahermosa Palace in Madrid, the collection of Baron ThyssenBornemisza has now found its final home, and the location is superb-opposite the Ritz, next to the Palace Hotel and virtually across the road from the Prado. The Villahermosa Palace is a large, plain, brick building of the late 18th century, but the interior has been completely gutted and remodelled by the Spanish architect, Rafael Moneo. The result is a clean, spacious, well-ordered interior, very much in line with current ideas as to how a modern museum should look. The main entrance is from a courtyard at the end of the building, just off the main street, and the standard entrance fee (1993) is 600 pesetas ($3). Inside, the layout is predictablecoats to the left, shop to the right, turnstiles ahead, and stairs down to the basement galleries devoted to special exhibitions. This, in December 1993, was devoted to a large exhibition of works on paper, From Impressionism to the Avuntgarde. Once through the turnstiles, there is a large central atrium, dominated by four large portraits of the King and Queen of Spain, and of the Baron and Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza. The less said about the artistic quality of these portraits the better, but Spain has every reason to be grateful to the Baroness, a former Miss Barcelona, for bringing the Collection to Madrid. A small part of the Collection is also on show at the Monastery of Pedralbes, in her native Barcelona. In June 1993, the government of Spain agreed to purchase the entire Collection, and to support the Foundation which now administers it. At a stroke, it has added a substantial new element to the cultural attractions of Madrid, one which is already proving highly popular. There have been 685,000 visitors in its first year, and even in mid-December there were long queues. Consequently, the best advice would be to be there at opening time-10.00--or during lunch, when the queue evaporated. The galleries are arranged on three floorrs, and the visitor is encouraged to take the lift up to the second floor, where the displays of Italian, Flemish and German Old Masters are to be found. This is the core of the Collection, and is in many ways the most impressive. In particular, it contains most of the great Dutch, Flemish and German pictures acquired by the Baron’s father. On the first floor there are additional Dutch 17th century pictures, including still lifes, together with 18th century pictures, 19th century European and American pictures, 0260-4779/94/010067-14
@ 1994 Butter-worth-Heinemann
Ltd
68
World
af Museums 1. Exterior of the late 18th century Viflahermosa Palace, Madrid, after its restoration and conversion by Rafael Moneo (1990-92) into a museum to house the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. The new Museum opened to the public in October 1992.
2. Central atrium created by Rafael Moneo in the Vi~~ahermosa Paiace, Madrid, as part of its adaptation to display the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. With 685,000 visitors in its first year, entrance fees and sales receipts cover most of its operating costs.
World of Museums
3. Interior of Gallery 12 on the second floor of the Villahermosa Palace, with a display of Early Baroque art including works by Bernini and Caravaggio. The new Museum is operated by the Fundacion Thyssen-Bornemisza.
4. Enfilade of first floor galleries in the Villahermosa Palace with 17th century Dutch and other Old Master paintings in the ThyssenBornemisza Collection on display.
69
World of Museums
70
works by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and several rooms devoted to the German Expressionists, an area in which the collection is predictably strong. One surprise is to find a room of good American 18th and 19th century paintings, and, in the context of permanent collections, this must be the first attempt by any European museum to come to terms with American art. Descending again, the ground floor is devoted to 20th century art: Cubism, Russian Constructivism, and the Modernist canon in Europe and the USA. The English artists included are Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David Hackney, R.B. but it is the range of the collection-literally from Kitaj and Henry Moore, Giotto to Jackson Pollock-that commands respect. Where else can one see a collection that attempts to embrace the whole of European painting, from the 14th century to the 2Oth? In spite of the comments of some critics, the overall effect is extraordinarily impressive, and almost every picture is a good example of its kind. The Thyssens have been well advised, and bought the best available at the time, so there is very little ‘museum dross’ in this collection. The rooms are spacious and airy; the walls mainly white, the lighting unobtrusive and good. The pictures are well spaced, and the arrangement of the collection very well planned and arranged. There is a very clear sense of historical progression, without it becoming too confusing. Although to my taste it is a little too clinical, with a collection of such wide range, this was perhaps inevitable. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection is strong where the Prado is weak, or non-existent, so taken together, they complement each other very well. Thus, with the Prado, the Buen Retiro, the Sorella, the Lazaro-Galdiano, the Reina Christina Museum of Modern Art (where Guernicd is now shown) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid’s position as one of the great cultural capitals of the world has been further enhanced. Photo
Credits:
Fundacion
Coleccion
Thyssen-Bornemisza,
Madrid. CHRISTOPHER
WOOD
Kalman Collection of English Naive Art Saved From Dispersal In 1987 the Museum of English Naive Art was opened in Bath, displaying the collection formed by Andras Kalman, but by the summer of 1992 the future of both museum and collection was uncertain (see ‘The Last Chance for a National Collection of English Naive Art’ in this journal, 11 (1992), pp.419-20). Indeed, Andras Kalman’s collection had been threatened with dispersal to the four winds, though it is probably the most important collection of English naive art in the United Kingdom, a country which has to date placed so little value on its naive art. There is no collection of any note in the British public museums and art galleries, and all too much has been lost through neglect over the years. At the last moment, the Peter Moore’s Foundation stepped in and has bought the collection. Its importance was brought to the Foundation’s attention through a determined campaign by a group of enthusiasts intent upon saving the