'Roots and horizons. More than a century of art", an exhibition of 470 works that review the artistic changes from the 20th century to the present, selected from the 5,000 in its collection and with works on loan from other museums, is what the Morera Museu d'Art Modern i Contemporani de Lleida has opened its doors this Saturday at its definitive headquarters, in the old Provincial Court, on Rambla Ferrán.
The pilgrimage that the museum began in 1914 ends from the Mercat de Sant Lluís, passing through the old Santa Maria Hospital, the Convent del Roser, the Principal Casino until resting in its definitive headquarters, the old Provincial Court. In the new stage the museum reinvents itself, adding talents from the 21st century to the Lleida look from the late 19th century to the 1970s.
The route of the inaugural exhibition, chronological, thematic and multidisciplinary, begins with the embryo of the museum, works from the donation of the painter Jaume Morera, some from his teacher, the landscape painter Carlos de Haes and also from his contemporaries.
Creations by Antoni Garcia Lamolla, Josep Viola or the Ralentí by Leandre Cristòfol share space in the new Morera with the jewels of the modernist illustrator Xavier Gosé, with short films such as Alas negras, photographs by Agustí Centelles and artists of the informalism of the Grup Cogull group created in 1964 by Víctor Pérez Pallarès, Albert Coma Estadella, Jaume Minguell or Àngel Jové.
Benet Rossell, Ton Sirera and Palmira Puig are part of this first exhibition of the new Morera, in which there is no shortage of photographs created with artificial intelligence by Jordi V. Pou, works of video art, a large space dedicated to comics and projects by artists in active as Antoni Abad and works on the identity of the youngest artist, Pol Merchán, an artist who has also worked at the city's La Panera Art Center.
For the director of the new Morera, Jesús Navarro, the museum's pilgrimage to various locations has forced him to live in "precariousness and provisionality." “A building of its own _he states_ It is important to be a reference museum in the country because the collections it has are of national relevance.”
The municipal architect who has directed the remodeling of the old Court, Jaume Terés, assures that the Morera has been configured from the "gaps of the historicist building" and is structured around a central patio that articulates its five floors.
On the ground floor, with free access, a collection of video art and regenerative digital art will be installed and you can see the remains of the 13th century adoberias that have been recovered during the works and in which the archaeologists will continue working in view of those who visit the Morera. Three floors are dedicated to exhibition, the fourth contains administration spaces and from the fifth there is access to a viewpoint that overlooks the Seu Vella.
The works on the 3,500 square meter building have lasted almost five years (with a pandemic in between) and have cost 5.3 million euros. Adding museography, the budget has reached 6.2 million. All administrations have collaborated. The European Union has done it with two million, the Department of Culture with one million, the Provincial Council with another million, almost another million from the State and the rest has been contributed by the City Council.
With the opening, the museum begins a month of open doors with free entry. Starting on May 14, admission will cost five euros, 2.5 for the reduced price, and will be free on the first Tuesday of each month, as well as on the city festivals, May 11 (Sant Anastasi) and September 29 ( Sant Miquel).
