MANIFESTO

During the ARCO 2018 edition, collector Tatxo Benet acquired an artwork by artist Santiago Sierra, titled Presos Políticos en la España Contemporánea (Political Prisoners in Contemporary Spain). Shortly thereafter, following its acquisition, the gallery that sold the piece removed it from its stand. The mere labelling of ‘political prisoners’ triggered its CENSORSHIP. Someone decided that the attendees of that ARCO edition should not see Santiago Sierra’s artwork.

This incident laid the groundwork for conceiving a distinctive collection. Five years later, the accumulation of works subjected to CENSORSHIP, CANCELLATION OR DIVERSE FORMS OF ATTACK has given rise to the Museu de l’Art Prohibit. The initiative of entrepreneur and journalist Tatxo Benet has assembled nearly 200 ARTWORKS, encompassing pieces by:

Francisco de Goya

GUSTAV KLIMT

Pablo Picasso

ZOULIKHA BOUABDELLAH

Amina Benbouchta

CHARO CORRALES

Far from amassing the wreckage that the ABUSE OF POWER inflicts upon artistic creation, this collection embodies an unparalleled potential within our societies. Thus, the Museu de l’Art Prohibit showcases, alongside its exhibited artworks, examples of what we might term mass creativity manifested through boundless chains of memes.

To inaugurate the Museu de l’Art Prohibit, CASA GARRIGA NOGUÉS reopens its doors in the heart of Barcelona’s Eixample district. The spaces of this building, built by Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia between 1899 and 1901, foster a sense of intimacy uncommon in museum settings. The museum’s mission is to restore to us the ability to behold ARTWORKS THAT WERE WITHDRAWN from public display—to breathe in their presence.

Within its 2,000 square metres, the museum offers a journey evoking both the scandalous essence of the exhibited collection and its IRONIC, CONTEMPLATIVE, INCISIVE, LIBERATING, CRITICAL and EMPOWERING facets. The digital tools integrated into the visit enrich the visitor’s encounter, an experience that extends beyond the gallery walls, inviting visitors to delve into instances of censorship as though traversing a virtual museum.