British curator Tanya Barson and project leader Pablo Martínez left the museum, and a quarrel broke out in the international art world. Barcelona The Museum of Contemporary Art (Macba).
The two left on July 16, the day after the director of the London showroom, Elvira Dyangani Ose, was appointed as the new curator of the museum.
Basson and Martinez learned via e-mail that their positions no longer exist due to the reorganization. Basson, a former international art curator at the Tate Modern in London, believes that they just want her to leave.
“I firmly believe that one of the main motivations for the reorganization is to influence the way we leave the museum because we have a permanent contract,” she told the media Observer.
The museum was designed by American architect Richard Meier and opened in the working-class neighborhood of El Raval in 1995. The permanent collection of approximately 5,000 works date back to the mid-20th century, including sculptures by Eduardo Chillida and Anthony Caro, as well as works by Keith Haring, Paul Klee, and photographer Brassaï.
Approximately 700 people from Spain and the international art community signed a petition condemning the way of leaving and the lack of consultation on the reorganization of the museum’s management.
This incident prompted the resignation of two other faculty members, namely the philosopher Marina Garcís and the anthropologist Ayo Herrero. The latter issued a statement saying that the resignation was “a regrettable step, again not considering faculty, staff and students.” “.
Mark Godfrey, the former curator of Tate Modern, was one of the international figures who spoke. He wrote on Instagram: “You have all made incredible contributions to Macba, and people will think that the city and government will be proud of these achievements.”
Donna de Salvo, senior part-time curator of the Dia Museum Art The New York Foundation also posted that this is “a typical bureaucratic style that does not consider or respect dedicated professionals. For them, this is more than just a job.”
Some museum staff said they were frustrated with the way Barson and Martínez left, but added that they were not welcomed by their colleagues, especially Barson, who was not really involved in it, either professionally or personally.
Basson acknowledges that cultural differences can sometimes be challenging, but also believes that Catalan cultural institutions appoint outsiders for their prestige, but then it is difficult to accommodate them.
“If I say that I have not encountered xenophobia, then I am lying,” she said. “There is a real resentment towards the people outside. There are very few outsiders from Catalonia in the team, and only a few outsiders. SpainThe word “Spain is different” is often mentioned, sometimes with a bit of irony.
“Spain has a culture of condemnation,” she said. “People will not come to me with questions, but will talk about it with other people behind my back, but then neither side will come to me and say this is a problem.”
In a statement, McBagh denied all of Bathson’s allegations, including xenophobia. It claims that the museum has clear agreements to deal with any form of discrimination or dissatisfaction, it says that Basson has never used these agreements, and that Macba encourages freedom of speech, reconciliation and equality, and is proud of its international perspective.
The statement also claimed that the reorganization was not imposed from above, but was the result of eight months of discussions and was reached by consensus.
Despite this, Dyangani Ose, who was appointed as a director, admitted that he could have handled the resignation better. She said she wanted to refocus the museum’s focus on key issues.
“Macba needs to be a necessary museum, indispensable to the lives of citizens,” she said. “It should be a place where unforgettable things happen and take care of people, workers and tourists. We hope to create a caring and nurturing environment in Macba.”
