Come out of the closet

"The preservation of the historical, artistic, archaeological, technical and scientific heritage of Catalonia is a basic element when promoting knowledge, study and dissemination among all citizens, in order to facilitate a better understanding of nature, history and, in general, life in the country. The museum is the institution that is fundamentally responsible for this heritage and is in charge of safeguarding it. These functions configure the museum as a cultural service center that is necessarily open and related to the society that surrounds it, which has the right to receive cultural benefits that go beyond simple custody.”

(Law on Museums of Catalonia, Law 17/1990, of November 2.)

Since its inception, the Museu de l'Empordà has sought to enrich its permanent collection of works of art through different acquisition formulas.

Although the world stopped, in the last three years the Museu de l'Empordà has continued to row to achieve its main goal. The exhibition New acquisitions (2019-2021) highlights the task of management and transparency of an equipment that is a regional benchmark. An exhibition that shows, trains and informs, giving the public a tool for knowledge and reflection, with a clear teaching-learning objective so that we can distinguish how the works enter the museum. The exhibition does not go alone, it goes a step further and places the viewer, not only in the relationship with the content, but with the management relationship of each and every one of the pieces shown there, presented and contextualized according to the type of income: deposits, donations and purchases. A relationship that makes the viewer empathetic. Empathy towards a human team that moves the threads so that the Museu de l'Empordà works tirelessly to make visible the heritage of the region, not only in content but giving value to a legacy of artists who have had a close relationship with l'Empordà, or that they have dedicated a special look to it through their production. Added value to the project of an equipment that has been watching since 2019 to make visible young artists born or resident in the region and with a remarkable career in the world of art.

Art is heritage and it is this heritage that must generate interest for itself, at the same time that it must challenge us, it must tell us things, it must explain to us and, in some way, it must challenge us to understand ourselves. And in this operation of challenge or questioning, the role of the museum is of significant importance, both in museology and in museography. This is why the pieces that the Museu de l'Empordà shows us have a higher meaning because they tell us things about themselves and their context. A heritage that needs to be cared for in order to be able to show it, preserve it in order to expand it, beyond the here and now. That's why you need to know the treasures kept on the shelves. You have to come out of the closet.

Pictured: Nobuko Kihira. Ashibikino. blue white