Barcelona courts Madrid to cooperate in tradition and tourism | Culture | EUROtoday

For the primary time, among the important cultural establishments of Madrid and Barcelona have met in an occasion promoted by Turisme Barcelona and the Círculo de Bellas Artes (CBA). After a minute of silence for the victims of the practice accident final Sunday night time in Adamuz, this Tuesday a day was held with the target of constructing Madrid conscious of the cultural choices of the capital of Catalonia. Renowned establishments such because the Palau de la Música Catalana, l’Auditori, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the MACBA, the Fundació Joan Miró, the Picasso Museum, the Tàpies Museum, the Museu Nacional de Catalunya, La Pedrera and the College of Architects of Catalonia have participated within the dialogue, together with initiatives akin to LOOP and the Barcelona Art Gallery Weekend. From Madrid, representatives from the Teatro Real, the Reina Sofía Music School, the Madrid Philharmonic, La Casa Encendida, Fundación MAPFRE and Arte Madrid attended.

Juan Miguel Hernández León, president of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, introduced at round ten within the morning what can be the agenda: “We are going to talk about culture as the driving force of the city, about progress and reflection.” At the identical time, he warned of the necessity to promote but additionally management tourism – a mirrored image shared by different audio system – which, in extra, may be “a poison.” Jordi Clos, president of Turisme de Barcelona, ​​has highlighted the significance of the alliance between each cities and their cultural establishments to enhance the profile of holiday makers, mission themselves internationally, improve revenue and share cultural and tourism initiatives. In this manner, two cities that may very well be seen as competitors should “actively cooperate so that outsiders know the potential of both.”

In the dialog round music, the three important Barcelona establishments – the Palau, the Liceu and l’Auditori – have offered their collaborative work in Barcelona Obertura, an alliance from which they coordinate the programming and communication of their actions to realize coherence of their cultural provide. Ramón Agenjo, president of the initiative, recalled: “A few years ago we decided that Barcelona could be put on the world music map.” Valentí Oviedo, common director of the Liceu, has assured that there isn’t a competitors between the three establishments, however reasonably a spirit of collaboration. Proof of this are, for instance, the 2 concert events they organized on July 9 and 10 on San Sebastián Beach in entrance of 30,000 individuals.

Joan Oller, common director of the Palau, has identified that Barcelona shouldn’t be sufficiently acknowledged for music, which was basic when forming the collaboration: “Many visit the Palau for being a monument and not for the concerts.” In a second of humor and complicity between the three administrators, they joked that Rosalía has been on the Palau and the Auditorium, to which Oviedo responded: “Rosalía has not sung at the Liceu, I take this opportunity to call her.”

Joan Matabosch, inventive director of the Teatro Real, has reacted to the Barcelona intervention and has celebrated “the uninterrupted tradition of the Liceu, which no one else has in all of Spain.” Julia Sánchez Abeal, CEO of the Reina Sofía Higher School of Music, has joined in to worth the alliances that the establishment she directs has had with the Catalan capital, for instance, when her college students give concert events there. “It is not competition, it is collaboration,” he clarified, as a result of “talent does not understand limits or borders,” and he has invited us to create a “joint narrative” in direction of overseas. In his speech, the inventive director of the CBA Chamber Circle, Antonio Moral, mentioned that he envies Barcelona for having a joint story between cultural areas and administrations, not like Madrid: “Barcelona City Council is playing a fundamental role,” whereas in Madrid every establishment goes its personal approach.

In the sphere of arts, the shows have centered on writer museums, structure and modern artwork in Barcelona. Marko Daniel, director of the Miró Foundation, participated within the dialog; Emmanuel Guigon, director of the Picasso Museum of Barcelona; and Inma Prieto, director of the Tàpies Museum. Guim Costa, dean of the College of Architects of Catalonia, has highlighted that “Barcelona has always been an urban planning and architectural laboratory” and has valued personal funding within the works that stand out within the metropolis immediately. “People want to come to Barcelona for its architecture that has transcended Catalonia, Spain and Europe,” he mentioned within the context of an essential yr, with the centenary of Gaudí’s loss of life and the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Cerdá’s, which coincide with the World Capital of Architecture 2026, which will likely be held within the metropolis.

Marta Lacambra, General Director of the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, has opted for “the architecture of collaboration” and has referred to as for Barcelona “to continue not looking at what Madrid is doing.” Pepe Serra, director of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), has acknowledged that they already keep a fantastic collaboration with the nation’s nice museums and has underlined the passion aroused in him by the museum’s enlargement work, which, he regrets, has not managed to be valued appropriately within the Barcelona panorama. The supervisor has taken benefit of the event to additionally joke that Rosalía offered her album LUX within the neighborhood of the MNAC.

Valerio Rocco, director of the Círculo de Bellas Artes, has additionally valued the intentions of the administrations of Barcelona – regional and native – to advertise tradition “in harmony”, which in Madrid “does not exist”: “I do not perceive a clear harmony, a common project, a guideline or clear objectives”, he mentioned, between the favored governments of Almeida and Ayuso with the Madrid cultural establishments.

Towards the top of the day, totally different collaboration concepts emerged. For instance, from La Casa Encendida they think about an trade of expertise between staff from the Barcelona and Madrid facilities, whereas Rocco, from the CBA, has proposed that initiatives such because the Festival of Ideas construct bridges with initiatives such because the Biennial of Thought.

The closing was led by Mateu Hernández, director of Barcelona Tourism, who displayed the Barcelona Art Scene poster with the town’s cultural provide for the primary half of this yr, which incorporates 70 actions together with exhibitions, concert events and festivals. 2026 may even be the yr of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France and the top of the Tower of Jesus of the Sagrada Familia, which is anticipated to be inaugurated on June 10 with the go to of Pope Leo XIV. The invitation to the individuals of Madrid to conform was made by Hernández: “It should be common for Madrid and Barcelona to meet.” After regretting the years which have saved the 2 massive cities separated, he assured {that a} want has been fulfilled: “We dreamed of this happening.”