Barcelona will soon have a new art museum, housed in an ornate former movie theater and stocked with art from the collection of Baroness Thyssen, Carmen Cervera, who has also filled museums in Madrid and Malaga.
The Barcelona version will focus on the works of Catalan artists of the 19th and 20th centuries, a focus of her collection; Barcelona is her home town. “To be able to host a significant museum in my city of Barcelona, showcasing some of the finest works of Catalan art is the best legacy I can leave to future generations,” she told the newspaper La Vanguardia.
She had a previous plan for a museum in Barcelona, using the Fira de Barcelona building near Montjuic, but the deal fell through. The former Comedia cinema is near the heart of the city at the corner of Gran Via and Passeig de Gracia. Built in 1887 as a mansion for the Planas family, it became a live theatre in 1936 and a cinema in 1960. It closed in January.
