Glenn Wickman
CAIXAFORUM Valencia will open in July 2022.
The Valencian branch of the highly prestigious Catalan culture and art centre has been on the cards for some time and will finally materialise in the Agora building at the City of Arts and Sciences next year.
Fundacion La Caixa – the cultural, social and educational organisation run by the financial institution of the same name – has already purchased the first two artworks to be exhibited permanently at the Agora, namely two sculptures by young Valencian artists Inma Femenia and Anna Talens.
Foundation director general Elisa Duran revealed that CaixaForum Valencia will host six exhibitions a year, with two running simultaneously every three or four months, covering a wide range of topics.
Duran also confirmed a series of displays already scheduled for the Valencia centre, including Picasso and Miro collections from the Pompidou Centre in Paris, works exploring the human body from the British Museum, and an exhibition of Egyptian mummies and Asian goddesses.
The Valencian Forum will be the ninth in Spain, with work at the Agora going full speed ahead and said to be 25% completed.
However, the journey has not been plain sailing, as a series of administrative and technical issues plus the coronavirus pandemic threatened to derail the project on several occasions.
As the latest CaixaForum to open its doors, the Valencia centre will be the most innovative, with a total exhibition space of 6,500 square metres and plans to incorporate traditional Valencian elements to give it its own distinct personality.
CaixaForum Valencia will also feature a domed garden, breast-feeding facilities, a restaurant and a handcraft classroom, among other elements.
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