The Louvre’s collections at CaixaForum

”la Caixa” Foundation presents its program for its social and cultural centre in Barcelona for the 2015-2016 season, marked by a global cultural offering designed for audiences of all ages. This autumn CaixaForum Barcelona will become a small Louvre, hosting two exceptional projects.

Drawing Versailles will present, for the first time since the 18th century, the preparatory cartoons and drawings that Charles Le Brun made for the Palace of Versailles, which have been specifically restored for this exhibition thanks to ”la Caixa”.

The second collaborative project with the Parisian museum, Animals and Pharaohs, will bring together more than 400 unique works and objects to explain the role and significance of the animal figure in ancient Egypt. The Group will pay special attention to one of the most characteristic art forms of the last century: photography. The protagonist will be Philippe Halsman, with Surprise me!, a complete retrospective that will focus on his relationship with Salvador Dalí and will feature many of his portraits of celebrities, including actresses Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

In spring 2016, the big names in the history of art will feature at CaixaForum Barcelona. Goya, El Greco, Manet, Courbet, Sisley, Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso, Modigliani, Kandinsky, Pollock and Rothko will be featured within Conversations, a selection of the best works from the Phillips Collection in Washington. Another culture from the past will be seen in the program. The exhibition Ming: the golden empire, uncovers the importance of this Chinese dynasty, fundamental to understanding the evolution of this country’s society and culture up to the present day.

Within a contemporary context, two projects stand out: a large exhibition curated by the artist Julião Sarmento using work from the collections of ”la Caixa”, the MACBA and the Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal) as the exhibition’s foundation; and the second edition of Comisart, a cycle of three exhibitions where young curators offer refreshing readings of current art using work from the Group’s collection.

The season will also focus on social projects, most notably My world, jointly organised with the United Nations Organisation. The program is in line with the CaixaForum model, whose seven social and cultural centres received a total of 2.3 million visitors during the 2014-2015 season. ”la Caixa” Foundation scheduled 42 exhibitions based around 27 different themes at these centres. CaixaForum Barcelona hosted 2129 activities between the months of September 2014 and August 2015, supported by more than 813,145 visitors.

(Featured Image: Philippe Halsman, Dali Atomicus, 1948 © 2013 Philippe Halsman Archive Magnum Photos. Images Rights of Salvador Dali reserved)