10 new major acquisitions from the National Collection
The Department of Culture invests almost 5 million euros in 636 acquisitions of works of art, books, photographs, and objects
BarcelonaThe Department of Culture maintains its pace of acquisitions for the National Collection: after the record figure of 5.1 million in investment in 2023, this Monday the minister Sònia Hernández Almodóvar presented 636 acquisitions totaling 344,881 works for an amount of 4,891,744 euros. Furthermore, 232 works were also incorporated through donation and 58 through dation. In terms of price, the most expensive purchase is the Forvm Photography Collection (902,680 euros, while part of it was a donation), which arrived at the Museu d'Art Modern de Tarragona a few weeks ago. Next is the Book of Hours of the Gralla Family (320,000 euros), deposited at the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
The Museu Diocesà de Solsona will receive the Altarpiece of the Annunciation of the Virgin, by Joan Pau Guardiola (320,000 euros), and the Macba, two works by Muntadas acquired for 124,740 euros, one of which is On Translation: The Negotiation Table II. The relief Burial of Saint Andrew the Apostle, by Bartomeu de Robió, cost 125,000 euros and will be on display at the Museu de Lleida.
In the field of photography, the Generalitat has purchased for 100,000 euros a pioneering daguerreotype from 1848 showing the Casa Vidal-Quadras and the Muralla de Mar (it will go to the MNAC), while the Latin manuscript by Ramon Llull Liber proverbiorum cost 79,040 euros (Biblioteca de Catalunya). The price for three panels of an altarpiece by Isaac Hermes Vermey was 71,000 euros (MNAC), and Eva Fàbregas's installation Oozing and some original comic strips by Nazario Turandot cost 54,450 euros (Macba and Morera, respectively). Finally, the archive of photographer Mar C. Llop cost 28,521 euros (Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya).Five lines of acquisitions
One of the main avenues for the collection's growth are the five acquisition lines created by the ministry: that of movable goods, contemporary art, photography, comics and illustration, and postwar art and second avant-gardes. The bulk of acquisitions made public this Monday represents an increase compared to 2024, when 431 acquisitions were made with a total of 23,090 works and funds, for an amount of 3,535,486 euros. Additionally, the National Collection received 152 donations in 2024 with 11,840 objects. The minister also highlighted that in the latest acquisitions, emphasis has been placed on the Renaissance and Baroque periods, where the Collection "had deficiencies, although other periods have not been neglected".
On the other hand, during 2025, some notable collections have been incorporated through donations, such as one of photographic cameras at the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia, one of plans corresponding to the Oceanographic Institute of Catalonia at the National Archive of Catalonia, and one of posters, caricatures, and photographs at the Girona Art Museum.
