Valencia will be from 2026 the European headquarters of the Hispanic Society of America with the opening of a new museum space dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla. The Palacio de las Comunicaciones in Valencia will house more than 220 works by the Valencian painter imported from the United States and belonging to the American society’s collection.
The future museum will be located in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, and its opening is scheduled for 2026.
This is what this new museum dedicated to Sorolla in Valencia will be like.
The project, promoted by the Generalitat Valenciana in collaboration with The Hispanic Society Museum & Library (HSM&L), will include oil paintings, gouaches, drawings, sculptures, photographs and personal correspondence, to provide the center with an intimate and little-known look at Sorolla’s life and work.
The agreement, signed by the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, and Guillaume Kientz, director of the HSM&L, establishes that the Generalitat will fit out the building and will contribute an annual fee of 1,150,000 euros for the loan of the works.
The selection of the art collection will be supervised by Blanca Pons-Sorolla, great-granddaughter of the artist and expert in his work.
Among the most outstanding pieces to be exhibited is Afternoon Sun ( 1903).
In addition to the artistic tour, the museum will have a specialized store and the ‘Café Huntington’, in honor of the founder of the Hispanic Society.
The agreement signed will be valid for four years, extendable for another four years, and may be renewed for additional successive periods. It is the aspiration of both parties that the agreements will be signed for a minimum of 15 years.
The Hispanic Society Museum & Library was founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington to create a free public museum and reference library for the study of the art and culture of Spain, Portugal, Latin America and the Philippines.
The history of the cultural entity and Sorolla’s career are closely linked. In 1909, the museum organized a major exhibition of Sorolla’s works that marked a turning point for both the artist and the institution. Huntington remained a loyal friend and patron of the artist until his death.
In 1911, he organized a traveling exhibition of his works and, in the same year, commissioned the monumental series of 14 canvases known as ‘Vision of Spain’, one of Sorolla’s masterpieces that can be seen at the Hispanic Society’s New York headquarters.