Rothko, Kandinsky, Tàpies, and Picasso: this is the University of Navarre Museum of Pamplona
Rothko, Kandinsky, Tàpies, and Picasso: this is the University of Navarre Museum of Pamplona
In a letter to artists, John Paul II wrote: “All artists experience the unbridgeable gap which lies between the work of their hands, however successful it may be, and the dazzling perfection of the beauty glimpsed in the ardor of the creative moment: what they manage to express in their painting, their sculpting, their creating is no more than a glimmer of the splendor which flared for a moment before the eyes of their spirit.” The relevance of art, understood not only as a tool for the creative and spiritual development of the artist but also as a social transformer for the viewer as an individual and collective, is the maxim on which the University of Navarre Museum’s creation was based. Part of the Pamplona campus itself and founded on the same human values that characterize this prestigious university, the museum has positioned itself as a highly relevant entity within the artistic and cultural panorama of the territory.
Its heritage includes one of the best photographic collections made in Spain, with more than 20,000 pieces and 250,000 negatives from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries, promoted by the University of Navarre in 1998. These pieces have become the central axis of a museum project that revolves around the history of the photographic phenomenon from its inception to the present day. Unique pieces by artists like De Launay, Clifford, Laurent, Ortiz Echagüe, and Robert Capa act as inspiration to contemporary artists in their creative projects. Along with the donation of the María Josefa Huarte Modern Art Collection, which includes pieces by Spanish artists like Eduardo Chillida, Jorge Oteiza, Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tàpies, and Pablo Palazuelo as well as international artists like Mark Rothko and Wassily Kandinsky, there is also the University’s determined drive to make art a tool for enjoyment and personal growth, as the great patron wanted. The commitment to this initiative is tied to the design and construction of the building, the work of architect Rafael Moneo – a building which has recently been declared the best of Navarre by readers of AD Magazine.
The museum came to be as an international center of public interest for artistic creation and reflection, with an interdisciplinary, educational, and social nature. Its mission lies in the tasks of artistic accompaniment, dissemination of the arts, and the creation of educational and school programs, as well as programs for special collectives; it does so in collaboration with the faculties and centers of the University of Navarre. Its annual, cross-disciplinary, and innovative programming is a reflection of its vision: art and its values conceived as part of the transformation of people, fulfilling a function with deep humanist roots and social impact.
The participation of the public (students, teachers, visitors, and companies) backs up this position – a position which has not stopped growing, both in person and digitally, in the five years that this center has existed. Its Promoting Board, the International Friends, and Friends of the Museum –individuals, families, and corporations– participate in the center’s mission; they not only do so with their financial support, but also through their support and contribution to the project’s strategic vision. The museum’s participation structure makes it easier for individuals and companies to offer financial support based on their resources and interests. The possibility of taking a tax deduction of up to 80% of the fees paid (the Government of Navarre has granted the entity MECNA status: Cultural Sponsorship of Navarre) is yet another incentive that adds to other exclusive advantages such as VIP cultural trips, visits to artists’ studios, guided tours with curators, the annual meeting, global networking on a scale that is unprecedented in this country, media impact, etc. These are advantages that are tailored to the patron.
Ultimately, what those who are part of this community of philanthropists appreciate the most is the conviction that art, values, creativity, and personal enrichment are part of the social agenda in order to build a more humane society together.
University of Navarre Museum
University Campus, Pamplona.
