The MNAC reiterates its "technical inability" to remove and relocate the Sijena murals in the Huesca courts.

BarcelonaThe MNAC race continues to avoid the transfer of the Sijena murals. This morning, the museum filed its written opposition to the execution of the ruling requiring them to return them to Aragon. According to the museum's statement, the MNAC reiterates its "technical inability to carry out the removal and transfer of the paintings due to the risk of irreparable damage that this operation entails" and maintains "the technical and legal arguments" it has defended throughout the process, "prioritizing the preservation of the work."

To strengthen its position, the museum is providing new reports from national and international experts, including one from ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), considered the highest body in its field. The institution does not belong to UNESCO, but was created at the request of its 1956 General Conference and collaborates closely with its World Heritage Committee.

ICCROM sent one of its technicians on an official mission to the MNAC to prepare the report, which highlights that "the paintings can be considered survivors of a catastrophic loss, rescued in emergency circumstances." According to the report, the current "altered and fragile" state of the paintings makes them particularly vulnerable "to physical disturbances (shocks and vibrations) and environmental changes." Finally, ICCROM "strongly recommends carrying out a thorough risk assessment based on existing values before undertaking any action related to relocation."

The other most notable report is by expert Simona Sajeva, who has updated what she did in 2016 and analyzes the fragility of the paintings. Sajeva points out "the critical points of the timetable proposed by the Aragon government: the lack of an integrated assessment of the risks and potential losses related to the operation, and concludes that both the timeframe and the technical proposal ignore the serious risks of irreparably damaging the paintings and are therefore unviable."

More time to return the paintings

Instead of the seven months In response to the request made by the judge in Huesca, the museum proposes an "indicative" fifteen-month timeline for returning the murals, detailed and in phases. This timeline includes the necessary administrative approvals and "the procedures and standards of international standard that are mandatory." The document questions the timeline proposed by Aragón both "in the procedures and in the requirements for acting and making decisions." It also highlights that the company acting on behalf of the government of Aragón lacks "the experience and solvency necessary for an operation of this magnitude." "The fact that the MNAC, in compliance with what was agreed in the order of the enforcement office, has presented an alternative timeline does not prevent it from reiterating what it has already stated in its previous documents of June 23 and July 17, 2025: the technical inability of the museum to carry out the removal and transfer operation," the statement says.

The document adds that the return of the murals is already in the compliance phase. the profane paintings, whose characteristics and state of conservation are technically different from the other paintings. The MNAC is providing drafts of the documents required for the tender, which Aragón must review and complete, as it is unaware of "the final destination and installation method of the paintings, as well as the climatic and conservation conditions of the site where they will be installed."