Donating and Loaning Artworks

The Museo Reina Sofía's permanent collection grows in three essential ways: through acquisitions made using the museum's own financial resources or the donation of works to the institution; through acquisitions made using funds from the Ministry of Culture, which include purchases made at the ARCOmadrid art fair, at auctions approved by the Board for the Classification, Valuation and Export of Spanish Historical Heritage Assets, or from private individuals and art galleries; and through deposits, via the Museo Reina Sofía Foundation, on an indefinite basis, or other depositors. 

All potential additions to the state collection first pass through the filter of the conservation technicians in the Collections Department, who actively seek out and research works according to the collection's prevalent lines of strategy and make proposals submitted for approval to the Permanent Commission of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Museo Reina Sofía. If successful, these proposals are then put before the Board for the Classification, Valuation and Export of Spanish Historical Heritage Assets, and they must also comply with administrative procedures laid out by Spain's Public Administration. 

The Museo Reina Sofía's acquisitions, donations and deposits 

The main aim underpinning the acquisitions that the Museo Reina Sofía makes, and the donations and deposits it accepts for inclusion in its permanent collection, is to incorporate artists, historical moments and concepts previously lacking in the collection's narrative. Acquisitions are, therefore, as wide-ranging as the collection's chronological scope is broad and forever-expanding, spanning the period from 1881 to the present day. The criteria for acquisitions are multiple, based primarily on plans determined by the museum's lines of work and research, but also by opportunities that present themselves according to market dynamics. 

Donations, bequests and deposits comprise an essential form of support to the museum. The Collections Department is constantly on the lookout for additions in its chosen fields of activity, but besides the institution's own acquisitions, the generosity of donors and depositors is fundamental to the collection's growth. The Collections Department affords particular attention to cultural institutions, collectors, artists and their families, in order to encourage and incentivise deposits and donations of artworks that make the museum's collection more complete. 

A donation is defined as the receipt of an object by free transfer inter vivos; in other words, by the owner wilfully ceding the object to the institution in life. 

Loan-deposits are another crucial form of acquisition, defined as a contract whereby the depositor or lender provides the museum with a cultural asset free of charge for use during a set period of time (usually not less than five years), after which the item must be returned. 

Offers of donation should be sent to: 

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Santa Isabel, 52 (28012 Madrid)  

Collections Department: colecciones@museoreinasofia.es 

Acquisitions by the Ministry of Culture assigned to the Museo Reina Sofía 

The Ministry of Culture contributes to the collection by assigning, in law, works of art to the Museo Reina Sofía's holdings. Acquisitions made by the ministry take two primary forms: purchases made within the context of the ARCOmadrid art fair and opportunistic purchases made at auctions approved by the Board for the Classification, Valuation and Export of Spanish Historical Heritage Assets. This latter model allows the Ministry of Culture to focus primarily on the acquisition of works by artists, principally Spanish, of the historical avant-garde and modernism, again with the aim of filling in gaps to give the collection a more complete and pluralistic narrative. As a national public institution, the Museo Reina Sofía is permitted to bid at auctions when key opportunities arise to enhance the various narrative strands of the collection; in such cases, it may also exercise the right of first refusal, in other words, where all other things are equal, its bid takes priority over other bids. 

Indefinite deposits from the Museo Reina Sofía Foundation 

In parallel, there are the contributions made by the Museo Reina Sofía Foundation. This is a private, non-profit cultural patronage entity, and considered a reference in terms of public-private collaboration. Established specifically to serve the needs of the museum, it has a mainly (though not exclusively) Latin American focus. The Foundation's primary aim is to enrich the Museo Reina Sofía's collection through indefinite loan-deposits of all its art holdings, which come through purchases or donations made by members or third parties. The Foundation has chosen to principally focus on certain strategic lines - photobooks, graphic art and the performing arts from Latin America, from 1910 to 1985 - while remaining alert to making acquisitions in other areas as and when opportunities arise. 

All acquisitions fall within a framework of common interests established between the Foundation and the museum by mutual agreement. The Collections Department makes acquisition proposals for the museum's directorship to approve, based on its research and lines of work, according to the framework of conceptual priorities agreed with the Foundation, and subject to budgetary possibilities. Foundation members and third parties can also submit proposals, which follow the same procedures. The Foundation's Executive Committee analyses each proposal; if accepted, they require the endorsement of the Board of Trustees, and approval from the Royal Board of Trustees of the Museo Reina Sofía. 

In accordance with the provisions of Article 40 of the Foundation's Statutes, it is established that, in the event of the foundation being dissolved, all assets and rights become the property of the Museo Reina Sofía and integrated into the patrimony of the museum. 

The role of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Museo Reina Sofía in growing the permanent collection 

The Royal Board of Trustees is one of the governing bodies of the Museo Reina Sofía, together with the President of the Museum (the Minister of Culture) and its director. The board may meet in plenary session (with all members present) or as a standing committee. Its functions are laid out in Royal Decree 188/2013, of 15 March, which stipulates its role concerning the acquisition of artwork for the collection: 

Plenary sessions can make proposals for the Minister of Culture to accept donations, bequests and inheritances of a historical and artistic nature on behalf of the museum. 

Standing committees can authorise the acquisition of artworks for (or) against payment by the museum or, where appropriate, submit proposals for the acquisition of artworks to the Minister of Culture. 

For practical purposes, the Collections Department prepares valuation reports on works judged to be of interest for incorporation into the museum's collection, according to its lines of work. These reports are submitted to the Board of Trustees, whose bodies (Plenary Session or Standing Committee, as appropriate) discuss the various merits. The trustees then approve or reject the proposal for inclusion, be it by acquisition, donation, deposit, bequest or inheritance. The Board of Trustees' secretariat then issues a certificate of acceptance or rejection. If accepted, the proposal is forwarded to the Board for the Classification, Valuation and Export of Spanish Historical Heritage Assets, which must also first ratify the acquisition.