for the love of art.

MEMBERS AREA

Banco de España
Spain
IACCCA
"2328 reales de vellón. Goya y los orígenes de la Colección Banco de España" exhibition, at Banco de España's Exhibition Hall (2021)
IACCCA
Glass lift, Banco de España, with work by Ignasi Aballí ("Zona euro", 2009)
IACCCA
Hall of Banco de España's second building in Madrid, with works by Jorge Oteiza ('Elogio del descontento', 1991 ), Pello Irazu ("Nobody told me you were here", 1992) and Xavier Toubes ("Uvas", 1992).
IACCCA
Reading Room of Banco de España's library, with works by Elena Asins ("Canto Modular. Canons 22", 1989-1990) and Ernesto Ballesteros ("205km de línea aplicados a un paisaje", 2006)
IACCCA
Reading room of the library, with work by Alicia Martin (Sin título, 2000)
Exhibition public space:

BANCO DE ESPAÑA

Calle de Alcala, 48 -  28014 Madrid.

Open Tuesday to Saturday (except public holidays), for temporary exhibitions. From 11.00-14.00 and 16.00-20.00.

Free admission

Information about exhibitions at https://coleccion.bde.es/wca/es/

The exhibition space takes us inside the historic Banco de España building, constructed during the flourishing of 19th century architecture.After careful refurbishing to provide the gallery with appropriate conservation and security conditions, public use has now been restored to one of the traditional building’s historic and emblematic entrances. Through a long-term programme of temporary exhibitions, the bank will be able to draw wider attention to its cultural and artistic heritage.

Website:

https://coleccion.bde.es/wca/es/

About the collection

Launch year:
1785

Number of artworks:
3.215

Status of collection:
National

Artistic domain:

The Banco de España’s attitude to collecting art throughout its history has been a kind of precursor of today’s institutional social responsibility, a way of returning part of the institution’s profits to society while constantly supporting the art and artists of each historical moment. For nearly 240 years, this activity has given the institution what is now one of the most important corporate collections in the country, and one of the finest among the central banks in our theatre of operations. A truly miscellaneous collection which includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs, together with a considerable number of special value pieces of decorative art and engravings.

The collection, dedicated to supporting art as a reflection of the bank’s sense of public responsibility, bears testimony to the institution’s entire history, since the Banco de San Carlos was founded in the late 18th century through to the present day. Chronologically, the collection is composed of a classical section, which includes works of art from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 19th century, and a contemporary section made up of Spanish art produced from the mid-20th century to the present day. The pieces acquired in the first two decades of the 21st century have a clear international character, mainly focused on European and Latin American art.


Prize(s):

ARCO Foundation \\\"A\\\" Award for Collecting 2019



Books by the collection

About the company

Banco de España

Launch year:
1782

International presence:
Spain

Number of employees:
3.331

Profile of the company:

The Banco de España’s origins date back to 1782, when it was founded under the name of Banco de San Carlos. It is the Spanish national central bank and, within the framework of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), the supervisor of the Spanish banking system along with the European Central Bank (ECB). 

The main functions of the Banco de España include supervising solvency and compliance with the specific rules of credit institutions, other entities and financial markets, providing treasury services and acting as a financial agent for government debt. It also holds and manages currency and precious metal reserves not transferred to the ECB, issues legal tender banknotes and promotes the proper working and stability of the Spanish financial system.