San Telmo Museum: a temple of knowledge and Basque culture in the heart of San Sebastián
San Telmo Museum: a temple of knowledge and Basque culture in the heart of San Sebastián
The Bauhaus School of Architecture and Design, whose centenary was celebrated in 2019, defended the idea of the “total work of art” or “Gesamtkunstwerk” – something like a creation that combines many artistic disciplines at the same time. Distances aside, there are many elements in the operation of San Telmo Museum that bring us to consider it as a kind of admirable “rara avis” that has all the ingredients of a total work of art. This is confirmed by its history, architecture, artistic heritage, and mission.
120 years after its inauguration, the oldest museum in the Basque Country has perfect health and impeccable authority. Located in the heart of the Old Quarter of San Sebastián, this restored, sixteenth-century, Dominican convent is a “must” for anyone who wants to learn about the history, culture, and way of life of the Basque people. Something eloquent and poetic about this center for the interpretation of Basque society is that it is located in one of the few buildings that survived the fire that devastated the city in 1813.
And the fact of the matter is that San Telmo Museum is precisely that: an anchor that stands tall through all adversities. A source of certainty and hope. The vast inventory of pieces in its collection (Ignacio Zuloaga, Esther Ferrer, Nicolás Lekuona, Marta Cárdenas, Tintoretto, José de Ribera, Rubens, Beruete, Mariano Fortuny, Madrazo, and Joan Miró – among others), the impeccable approach of its permanent exhibition, and the numerous activities and temporary exhibitions organized throughout the year all make San Telmo an ideal place for creative encounters and dissemination.
In addition, lovers of contemporary architecture will find here a wonderful example of heritage and modernity. In 2011, the museum underwent a major renovation conceived by the Nieto Sobejano studio, which has designed some of the best museums in the world. The result is an avant-garde proposal that vindicates and glorifies the past while serving as an instrument to understand the present and build the future based on knowledge.
San Telmo Museum
Plaza Zuloaga 1, San Sebastián.
Tel.: +34 943 481 580
