CERCLE 1

I Barcelona'sMUSEUM OFMODERNISM 18 InMarch 2010, the gallery owners Fernando Pinós andMaría Guirao foundedBarcelona’sMuseumofModernism in theheart of theCatalan capital,acompletelyprivateinstitutiondevotedtotheCatalanModernist period. Both had worked as antiquarians and were profoundly passionate about a movement that at the time was not especially popular or well-considered, a fact that without a doubt helped them acquire valuable pieces to enrich their collections. The Pinós-Guirao pairing ledapioneering task, given that at the timeCatalanModernism had littleof the charisma it nowhas, allwithout the favor and support of official institutions. Many buildings were demolished and a large number of artworks and decorative pieces were confined to storage for many years. Important characters from the worlds of journalism and letters, Josep Pla, Manuel Brunet or Carles Soldevila for example, demanded the demolition of the Palau de la Música, considering it an architectural aberration. This kind of anti-Modernist movement had its peak between the 1920s and 1950s soon after themovement came to its end after 30 years of splendour between 1910 and 1914 with the arrival of ‘Noucentisme’. Nowadays Modernism has retaken its deserved place of honour, rising up as one of the most powerful symbolsof Catalan identityand,more specifically, ofBarcelona. Although important pieces can be found in the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) as it holds important collections of the period, Barcelona’sMuseum ofModernism, located in carrer Balmes opposite the seminary, displays a delicate collection of painting, sculpture and decorative arts from a time thatwas called ‘the period of bad taste’ in its unfortunate period of disdain. Themuseum’s impulsors, Fernando Pinós andMaria Guirao, opened their first gallery in the 1970s, close to the Encants fleamarket, and latermoved to carrer Consell de Cent, where they opened the Gothsland gallery in 1978, very close to the one that one of their sons, Fernando Pinós Guirao, would later open. Through buying and selling items, the collection held and exhibited by the gallery is the result of choosing unique pieces, many of which are exuberant collections of furniture anddecorative art from some of Barcelona’smostprestigiousartisanworkshops. Today we shall interview Fernando and Gabriel Pinós, María and Fernando’s sons and inheritors of the family business. They are accom- paniedbyGemaLosa, thedirectorofBarcelona’sMuseumofModernism. The family business was already focussed on galleries and antiquarian collections, which to a certain extent had an inherently non-stop flow of modernist artworks in all directions. So why the idea of creating a museum? (answerbyFernandoPinós). One of Barcelona’s most important references and attractions are the fabulous modernist buildings in the city, and it was a shame that visi- tors and art lovers could only enjoy the architecture. We thought it ne- cessary tobe able to showhow theydecorated thesebuildings andhow thepeopleof theperiod lived.Wehada large space located in the centre of thecityanda largecollectionof artworks from themodernistperiod. As it is a private insitution, I imagine new acquisitions are weighed up very carefully. Is that the case? (answerbyFernandoPinós) Regardless of the effort related to the economic investmentmade, the acquistions are carried out completely rigourously, bearing in mind that theyhave tohave somevery specific characteristics either in their executionor quality. Theymust alsomaintainor improve the standard of thecollection. It must be very hard to sustain an institution like this exclusively with private funding... (answerbyFernandoPinós). It’s not easy at all to maintain and broaden our collection as well as having it open to thepublicwithnokindof outside help. However, we think it necessary Barcelona and art lovers have a reference point to enjoyoneof themost important andmost splendidartisticmovements inour cultureandour city. What conclusions can you draw from the times that we live in now: museums subsidised and oversubscribed, but even so often economically underperforming; smalll, charmingmuseums empty; notmuch learning amongst somany selfies... (answerbyGemaLosa) This is certainlya reality. I thinkwe shouldpickup thepublic and take them to spaces that are worth their attention and are yet not visited due to a lack of knowledge about them, which in turn makes them unprofitable,preciselybecauseofthefewvisitstheyhave. Inmyopinion, the relevant institutions should take amore active part in broadening their dissemination of museums, especially the less-frequented ones. Wehave tostop thesaturationof thesespacesmeaninga loss inquality and services (activities, visitor comfort, affordable routes) that these morediscreet institutions canofferwithout affecting the conservation of theirheritage. It seems that visiting museums is something more to do with ‘posing’ rather thana real cultural need. (answerbyGemaLosa). Theneed for culture is a reality, given thatman alsoneeds to attend to theneedsof the soul. Art isoneof thealternatives that has tobe fed to come to some inner enrichment. It makes uswise, but also conscious andconcerned forHistoryandour surroundings. If themomentweare living in isaperiodofgreatposing, it’sbecause insteadourgeneration’s education. There is more and more emphasis on immediacy and the need to accumulate experiences, always in terms of the gallery. The presence of young people, especially in cultural areas, will always be positive, but it should awake a real, deep interest, not only from educational andpublic institutions but also from the social and family environment.Going toseeanexhibition isn’t justa tickon theunending list of things to do in life (always in a hurry), it’s a tick on the human journeyof identifying foreveryone inall cultures. There iswidespreaddisagreementon this, but shouldgreatarthavebeen spared the overbearing democratisation is has been a victim of, or do you think we need to open the doors to everyone to help the slow, but necessaryprocessof ‘culturisation’ inSpain? (answerbyGemaLosa).