Santa Cruz neighbourhood is the heart of the historical centre of Alicante city. It’s home to some of the most emblematic buildings in the province, such as the wonderful Co-cathedral of Sant Nicolau which dominates the area with its blue dome. Bustling nightlife and great tapas bars fill the streets with life.
Museum fans also have plenty of attractions to enjoy in the neighbourhood because this is where you’ll find the Gravina Museum of Fine Arts, housed in a 18th century palace, and MACA, the splendid Alicante Museum of Modern Art whose outstanding collection is famous across Spain and abroad.
Leading artists such as Joan Miró, Kandinsky, Dalí and Picasso are the big stars of MACA’s exhibition halls with their important 20th century artworks. Thanks to Alicante-born artist Eusebio Sempere, today this institution can be enjoyed by visitors in all its splendour. Are you a big modern art enthusiast? Then come inside MACA with us
MACA: the achievement of Eusebio Sempere
Eusebio Sempere was a sculptor, painter and graphic artist from Alicante who was a key figure in the kinetic art movement. His personal friendship with some of the most important artists of the 20th century was a great help when drawing together a good number of exceptional works that would form the origins of what is today MACA.
Sempere’s great ambition was to create a museum of modern art with the pieces from his private collection. He believed in the democratisation of art and artists’ responsibility to make it accessible to all. Alicante Town Hall happily welcomed the idea and helped to create one of the first museums of this kind in Spain.
Despite the fact that Sempere didn’t have ample economic resources, he decided to head to Paris to continue to expand his art collection so he could give the future museum the finest artworks possible. He intended to make everything that he was saving up for his old age available to the city.
The Casa de la Asegurada was chosen to be the new museum’s home. The 20th Century Art Collection opened its doors on 5 November 1977 thanks to the extensive collection of over 170 works that Sempere had succeeded in bringing together; it displayed paintings sculptures and graphic art by hundreds of artists including Bacon, Giacometti, Tàpies and Chillida.
This deeply special space was a civil building that had been constructed in 1685 and was a wonderful example of the city’s Baroque architecture. Sempere succeeded in opening a museum of modern art at an extremely important moment in Spanish history and it was a bold commitment by the artist.
From Casa de la Asegurada to MACA
Located in the heart of Alicante’s historical centre opposite the impressive Gothic basilica of Santa Maria, the Casa de la Asegurada is the oldest civil building conserved in Alicante today and was originally used as a wheat warehouse. In 2002 a decision was made to refurbish the building and to incorporate it into a new construction. Architects Sol Madridejos and Juan Carlos Sancho were responsible for the project.
They had to bear in mind two key factors before beginning the building works: they were creating a space that would house a collection of artworks from the 1950s to the 1970s, and they had to acknowledge its location in the historical centre. Stone was chosen as the main construction material to ensure that the new building was in harmony with the rest of the historical centre. La Asegurada was refurbished with a respect for its original design so its spaces could be used as a support for the new museum.
The current museum is spread across three inter-connected levels so natural light even reaches the ground floor. It was conceived as a whole with a play of horizontal and vertical lines and different volumes. The optical effects that kinetic artists used in their pieces have an important presence between the walls of MACA.
What to see in the Alicante Museum of Modern Art
The Alicante Museum of Modern Art continuously demonstrates its commitment to the works in its collection. Its main objectives are the immaculate conservation of each work of art, research, education to better understand modern art and the promotion of modern art.
It opened on March 2011 and is a public institution under the administrative responsibility of Alicante Town Hall. In addition to its fascinating temporary exhibitions, MACA has several permanent collections:
- 20th Century Art Collection. The works in this group were donated by Eusebio Sempere to Alicante city to create the museum. It contains genuine masterpieces that date from the 1920s to the 1980s, from modern art to the avant garde. Sempere’s thoughtful selection includes artists as renowned as Braque, Chagall and Giacometti but, above all, it stars Spanish artists such as Equipo Crónica and José Guerrero.
- Juana Francés Collection. Juana Francés was a founding member and the only woman in the El Paso group; this collection displays her impressive artistic legacy. It contains over a hundred works including paintings, drawings, prints and lithographs on a journey through the different stages of her work, moving from figurative representation to abstraction in a search for balance and harmony.
- Eusebio Sempere Collection. This artist from Alicante has a deserved international reputation and is one of the finest Spanish artists to work in geometric abstraction and kinetic art. His in-depth study of optical illusions and movement led to uniquely beautiful pieces. The collection contains 575 works that cover Sempere’s entire career and features drawings, paintings, sculptures in iron, and lithographs, illustrating his fascinating evolution. A worthy tribute to the creator of this museum.
- Caja Mediterráneo Collection. Over 200 works that take you on a journey from the Spanish transition to democracy to the present day. It’s a magnificent example of Spanish art from recent years with a multidiscipinary focus that reveals different artistic trends.
