Students from the University Master’s Degree in Cultural Management and lecturer Lucía Pérez recently visited Sala Parés, the oldest art gallery in Spain. The visit was part of a case study from the subject 21st-Century Society and Culture and consisted of touring the halls in the presence of gallery president Joan Anton Maragall.

The Catalan gallery owner explained the history of Sala Parés following its opening in 1877 and regaled the students with fascinating anecdotes about Pablo Picasso, Ramón Casas and other painters whose work has been displayed at the gallery. He also conveyed their mission and the characteristics they look for in the art they display: committed art which reflects concerns, probes, opens new windows and creates beauty. He then discussed the relationship the gallery maintains with the artists and how they choose the works. 

Sala Parés is currently hosting an exhibition on the operas that are scheduled to appear at the Liceu, which the students also had the chance to see. Maragall then took them behind the scenes and showed them the works reserved for interested customers and the storeroom, home to the gallery’s private collection.