Archive
The archive preserves documentation of special historical value generated by the MACBA and other individuals and organizations related to contemporary art practices as well as an extensive collection of artists’ books. This document collection, built around the discursive lines of the MACBA, is shown to the public through exhibitions and activities and provides a reference source for contemporary art research.
Location
MACBA Study Centre
Plaça dels Àngels, 8.
08001 Barcelona
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Opening hours
Monday to Thursday: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.*
Tuesday: 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm.*
Closed on bank holidays and August.
*To consult the holdings of the Archive, an appointment must be made at least 48 hours in advance. Request personal consultation
The Archive was created out of the conviction that art production since the beginning of the last century and since the 1950s in particular cannot be understood solely through the work of art but rather that documents form part of the language that makes up complex cultural productions such as art. Through its work the Archive also aspires to remedy how little attention document collections have received in our specific context to date.
The MACBA Study Centre Archive (CED) essentially brings together two types of documents:
- Publications, for the most part serial publications whose authors are visual artists
- Special materials that include, for example, historically important documents that have not been generated by artists and “unpublished” materials such as correspondence series, photographic negatives, prints and so on.
On a first level of classification, the materials are grouped according to their source. This means that the document holdings have been generated and organized by a particular person or organization in the course of their work or performance of their duties. Among them are the personal archives of artists and art critics as well as the archives of art galleries and artists’ collectives and the MACBA’s own institutional archive. The remaining documents are structured into document collections based on shared characteristics in terms of their content or typology. These collections gradually grow as more material is incorporated into the Archive.
The Archive welcomes donations of artists’ books and other documents in its domain of specialization as long as they are not duplicated in the collection. If you would like to make a donation or obtain more information, please write to arxiu [at] macba [dot] cat specifying the purpose of your donation.
Location
The Archive is located in the MACBA Study Centre in Plaça dels Àngels, 8, just next to the museum’s main building.
Access and consultation
Access to the documents in the Archive is public and free of charge. However, we recommend that you read the guidelines governing access to and use of the spaces in the MACBA Study Centre.
If you do not have a Study Centre card, the first time you visit the Archive you will need to present your ID or passport at the desk on the ground floor of the Study Centre, and you will be able to obtain your card in the reading room free of charge. You can also use your Friends of MACBA card to gain access.
The Archive is open from Monday to Thursday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and Tuesday from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Closed on bank holidays.
To consult the Archive you must make an appointment by writing to arxiu [at] macba [dot] cat at least 48 hours in advance.
See general conditions for consultation of holdings and documents.
Request consultation of a document or document collection
Group visits
Educational institutions and professional groups can request a group visit to get acquainted with the archive’s space and services by writing to arxiu [at] macba [dot] cat. Guided visits to the collection of artists’ books may be requested by writing to educacio [at] macba [dot] cat.
Photocopying
Photocopying the Archive’s documents is not permitted. Digital photography may be used as a means of reproduction provided that the copies obtained are for purposes of research or academic study in accordance with current legislation on intellectual property.
Internet connection
The Study Centre offers free Wi-Fi access. To access the network you will need the username and password, which you can request at the Library desk.
Search the archive
Explore the archive
Document Holdings and Collections
Performances have been a constant in Esther Ferrer’s art practice since the mid-1960s. Thanks to the artist’s collaboration, in 2009 the MACBA assembled a digital collection of videos and photographs of her performances dating back to 1975.
Between 1983 and 1993 Muntadas interviewed 156 professionals connected to the art world, and from the more than 200 hours of video footage obtained he edited eight “chapters” of different lengths which are part of the MACBA Collection’s installation Between the Frames: The Forum (Barcelona), 1983-1993 (2011).
The history of the gallery, open in Barcelona from 1974 to 1991, and of the artists who exhibited there is reflected in the books and documents donated to the MACBA by the gallery owner.
The exhibition organized in 2012 on the work of artist Luis Claramunt was an opportunity to show less publicly known projects next to his paintings. Among other things these included self-published books, print proofs, preparatory drawings and dossiers with photos.
Maria Lluïsa Borràs’s professional career unfolded in different spheres including exhibition curatorship, teaching, publications and art research, in which her dissertation on artist Francis Picabia is of special note.
Featured Documents
![Allez! Pràctiques ambulants i museus dispersos. Seminari internacional entorn dels artefactes mòbils [Reportatge fotogràfic activitat]](https://img.macba.cat/public/styles/large/public/imagenes/archivo/documento_archivo_A.HIS.05810.jpg?itok=un5c138A×tamp=1628241081)
![Agost, 1962 : festa major de Gràcia [full de negatius 2]](https://img.macba.cat/public/styles/large/public/imagenes/archivo/documento_archivo_A.XMI.0003.jpg?itok=pJZSSFn0×tamp=1577055140)
![P.O.Box [núm. 9]](https://img.macba.cat/public/styles/large/public/imagenes/archivo/documento_archivo_A.PSO.0524.jpg?itok=Ip7mMfO5×tamp=1577055093)
View Holdings document
To consult the holdings of the Archive, an appointment must be made at least 48 hours in advance to arxiu [at] macba [dot] cat.
Request images
The museum has an image bank containing images of the holdings of the MACBA Collection and Archive aimed at researchers, publishers and art institutions that wish to reproduce images in any medium.