BARCELONA.- The General Council of the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona has named Ferran Barenblit as the new director of MACBA.

The International Committee of Experts was formed by representatives of the institutions in the MACBA Consortium: Chris Dercon (member of MACBA’s consulting committee), Alfred Pacquement (ex-director of the Centre Pompidou), Pepe Serra (director of MNAC), Ignasi Aballí (artist), Emilio Álvarez (gallerist), Xavier Antich (philosophy lecturer), Jordi Sellas (representative of the Culture Department of the Generalitat de Catalunya), Rosa Mach (representative of the Institut de Cultura de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona) and Pedro de Esteban (representative of the MACBA Foundation).

The General Council has valued very positively the proposal and the work done by the Committee of Experts. The latter wishes to emphasize the high level of some of the candidacies, and brings this proposal to the General Council of MACBA after taking into account that the selected candidate fulfils all the requirements specified in the Rules for the Public Competition, and that, regarding such, he has obtained the highest evaluation in respect of:

1. Guaranteeing that MACBA maintains its prestige as an internationally recognised institution.

2. Developing a policy of exhibitions, activities and academic publications of excellence to guarantee the scientific activity and various programmes (exhibitions, publications, communication, education, sponsorship) conducted by the Museum.

3. Strengthening the Museum Collection with the appropriate management of the collections and criteria for new acquisitions.

The jury wishes to emphasize that, among all the candidates, Ferran Barenblit has distinguished himself for his presentation of a rigorous, precise and clear project for all the areas of the Museum, in particular the Collection and exhibition programme. In particular, the Committee valued his vision of the future of cultural institutions and the role of their directors, as well as MACBA’s role in the Catalan contemporary art system, Barcelona and its proximity to the Raval. Also valued were his precise, conscientious and determined ideas for the use of MACBA’s new spaces. Besides the solvency of his academic education and professional career, the jury has taken into account his knowledge, evaluation and diagnostic (precise, accurate and realistic, but also enthusiastic) of the institution’s current situation and its position in the global, national and local context. Finally, the Committee highly valued the importance given in his project to the work of intermediation with the public. In this sense, the Committee valued not only the appropriateness of his analysis and his proposals, based on incrementing public activities and the education programme (from primary to tertiary education), but also his capacity to connect the Museum’s practices to the city’s lively urban scene.

Ferran Barenblit takes over from Bartomeu Marí, who has been the Director of MACBA for the last seven years. The signed contract for the Post of Director is for a period of five years, renewable with the agreement of the General Council.