Through the Collection and the exhibition/activities calendar, the MACBA hopes to construct a critical memory of Art of the latter half of the 20th century, with two objectives: to oppose rhetoric and hegemonic forces which tend to mythologize the local-national while exploiting cultural institutions as active agents of tertiary economics in urban centres; and to present alternatives for the insufficiencies of the dominant museum model, which is generally based on the universalist myth of the original work presented as spectacle.

Working from the concept that there is no “public;” only “publics” consisting of specific and differentiated groups, the museum ceases to be a mere producer of exhibitions and becomes a purveyor of different services for different subjects. The exhibition is then an experience on a par with that of workshops, conferences, audiovisual activities, publications, etc. All of these experiences are defined by a series of discursive lines which lend thematic coherence.

The current Collection

On June 19th, 1997 the MACBA and the Consortium (comprised of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and the MACBA Foundation) signed a long-term loan agreement regarding the works of art accumulated, thus making the MACBA’s permanent collection official. The Collection consists of said loans and works donated to the Consortium by other institutions or private entities.
Since their integration into the Consortium, these collections have been organized and developed according to the parameters established by the Museum, however, they have diverse origins and their specificity reflects the political and cultural complexity and contradictions that have, until now, characterized our Museum’s history.

The MACBA Collection, which starts in roughly 1950, consists of many works from Catalonian, Spanish and International artists. Though not an anthology, it is a thorough overview of the fundamental aspects of Contemporary Art which hopes to promote both exercises and education in critical memory.