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Contemporary Art in Ibiza, MACE

By 6 June, 2012 August 3rd, 2020 No Comments

Ibiza5Sentidos.es photo

Ibiza, due to a historical and multicultural legacy from the different civilizations throughout time that have inhabited the island, has a rich archaeological and ethnographic heritage. Moreover Dalt Vila, the walled enclosure, is considered the most important artistic and cultural enclave of Ibiza town. Inside you can find interesting museums, art galleries and interpretive centres.


To delve into the historical and present artistic and cultural Ibiza, there is no better way than to visit its museums to see the goods, works and riches of pre-existing times that they document, and to find out about its current modern and diverse contemporary artists.

The d’Eivissa Museum of Contemporary Art (MACE) is one of them. This museum is located in a landmark 17th century building in Dalt Vila. Its origins date back to the 1964 Ibiza Biennial and Ibigrafic a posteriori, when its founders decided that the awarded works should form part of their artistic background. The building and headquarters was the Hall of Arms of the Royal Force of Ibiza. Recently renovated, the museum has built new showrooms, as well as archaeological remains of a Punic housing complex from the 4th century BC, which was found during the renovation, and is displayed in a completely glassed area.

MACE manages the nearby Casa Broner, the headquarters of the Erwin Broner Foundation, the German architect and painter who wanted to merge traditional Ibizan architecture with the rationalism of the Bauhaus, and the Puget museum, which presents paintings of the island’s rural life, Ibiza town and the customs and traditions of Ibizans throughout the 20th century, which the artist Puget Viñas and his son Puget Riquer captured in their paintings. MACE also directs the Polvorí cultural spaces, located in the Santa Llúcia Baluart and the church of l’Hospitalet.

The museum’s permanent showcase highlights the Ibizagráfic Biennial, a major collection of prints and paintings depicting the creations of the Ibiza 59 group. Work is also hung on its walls by artists such as Barry Flanagan, Bechtold, Broner, Faber, Micus, Zush/Evru, Vedova, Hausman, Le Parc, Tàpies, Gordillo, Broto and Portmany.

In this new artistic context, MACE presented a suggestive retrospective of drawings and ceramics by Miquel Barceló and Barry Flanagan up until 31 October 2012.