Media, News, Publishing: museums

Показаны сообщения с ярлыком museums. Показать все сообщения

суббота, 2 марта 2019 г.

Cars from Lleida museum

вторник, 20 ноября 2018 г.

Bassella Moto Museum in Catalonia, Pyrenees

Bassella Moto Museum in Catalonia

The Bassella Motorcycle Museum gives continuity to the task performed by Mario Soler (1907-1991), a devoted motorbike and mechanics fan, who for many years, in his small workshop in Bassella (Lleida), with his hands and talent, recovered a great number of motorcycles. Thanks to this effort, he became a reputable restorer and one of the first collectors in Spain.

At the time of opening, back in 2002, it was the first museum specifically focused on the world of the two wheels to be operative in Spain. Nowadays, it is recognized as one of the best motorcycle museums in Europe and it has become an icon for all motorsport fans and an obligatory stop on the route to Andorra.

About 5000 visitors come to see an exhibition every year.

The rarest exhibits in the collection are Neracar 1929, as its name shows, “near a car”, it pretended to become a car but could not reach it, or the Corgi Excelsior Spirit 1944, used during the Normandy landing (World War II) in order to support the ground troops. Among the most ancient exhibits are two French motorcycles – Clement, 142cc from 1902 and Peugeot 200cc from 1909. Each bike of the museum has its own story, some of them very curious.

The motorcycles are from all around the world: France, England, Spain, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, Germany and others.

Latest main purchase was a unique Peugeot from 1909.

It is a private initiative managed by the Motorcycle Museum Foundation Mario Soler, a non-profit entity that works in order to promote the motorcycles values, its past, present and future and is in charge of the Bassella Motorcycle Museum as well.

The museum covers more than 1000m2, split into two different open plan halls to discover the fascinating motorcycle world through a wide selection of national and international brands.

On the ground floor of the museum, the visitor can see some of the models produced at the start of the 20th century fitted with gas lights, like a Clement from 1902 manufactured in France or a spectacular 4 cylinders FN with a wicker side-car from 1914.

As well as an evolution along the mythical European brands, BSA, Norton, Triumph, Ducati, and some rare interesting units like a Gillet España that was used by the Spanish police and of which only 50 units were manufactured.

American brands are exhibited there as well, such as an Indian from 1925 or a Harley-Davidson with side-car used as a taxi in Barcelona.

The exhibition also includes a selection of the main national Spanish brands, like Montesa, Bultaco, OSSA, Derbi, Sanglas, Rieju, Lube, and the consequences of the Japanese brands’ invasion with specific examples as is the case of the Montesa-Honda created in 1986.

The basement floor of the Bassella Motorcycle Museum is devoted to competition models, from those handcrafted prototypes at the start of the 20th century to the most sophisticated bikes of today like the Honda 125cc with which Emilio Alzamora won The World Championship in 1999. The tour includes several off-road types (trial, enduro and motocross) where the national brands played a very important role during the 60s and 70s. There are also mythical models that participated in several races like the Dakar Rally or the popular endurance race 24 Hours of Montjuic, that took place in the old urban circuit of Barcelona between 1955 and 1986.

Finally, in the centre of the museum the original workshop stands out, where Mario Soler refurbished the majority of the motorcycles that shape the present collection. Everything was carefully transported piece by piece from its former location in Bassella, keeping all the elements and original details which constitute one of the most remarkable areas in the Museum, where time stopped more than 20 years ago.

More information about museum

суббота, 17 ноября 2018 г.

We plan to open our fourth museum in Girona dedicated to Catalan painters, says a world-famous art collector Carmen Thyssen whose collection is estimated to be worth 2 billion dollars

Last week, the inauguration of the third exhibition of paintings “Femina Feminae”, including 29 paintings dedicated to woman’s beauty, took place in The Carmen Thyssen Museum in Andorra. The owner of the collection, Andorran resident, María del Carmen Rosario Soledad Cervera y Fernández de la Guerra, Dowager Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva, popularly known asCarmen “Tita” Thyssen, was kind enough to have an interesting talk with all-andorra.com over a cup of coffee about the global art market, her huge unique collection, new museum in Girona and even about her own passion for painting.

Interview: Irina Rybalchenko

The co-prince of Andorra and Bishop of Urgell visited the museum during the inauguration for the first time ever. Next time, perhaps, can we expect to see the second co-prince, President of the French Republic, Francois Macron?

Of course! That would be great!

How many works of art are there in your collection at the moment?

My collection consists of about one thousand four hundred paintings as well as some sculptures, but not so many – in total it’s about 10. I have four Rodin sculptures, very good ones – “The Eternal Springtime”, “The birth of Venus (The Aurore)”, “The Dream (The Angel’s Kiss)” and “The Death of Athens (Lamentation on the Acropolis)”; two Matisse (one of them is Small Crouching Nude with Arms) and some by Spanish sculptors.

What are the most valuable pieces of art?

Paintings. I have Paul Gauguin’s paintings. The most valuable of them is Mata Mua – the translation is like “Once upon a time” (just like how some children’s fairy tales begin). It’s estimated to be worth about 400 million US dollars.

Another one was painted in Martinique, and is titled “Coming and going” – now it’s in an exhibition in Amsterdam. He painted very few paintings in Martinique. Therefore, they are more valuable than those that were painted in France.

“Coming and going” has been already in Andorra at the previous exhibition. It is possible to see Mata Mua here?

Yes, next year or maybe in 2 years we will create an exhibition including this painting.

Is it possible to calculate how much the whole collection is currently estimated to be worth?

It’s about 2 billion dollars.

What are the recent acquisitions in the collections?

There is pastel painting by Santiago Rusiñol, a Catalan painter. This technique was very developed by French painters like Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, for example. Santiago Rusiñol went to Paris to understand more about this pastel technique. He has just a few paintings done in this style. It was a big surprise for me: nobody bet on it in the auction house in Madrid! So I was very lucky. It’s really very unique.

Also, I bought some paintings by the Spanish pop artist Antonio de Philippe. He painted my portrait many years ago, I loved it and I bought it. That’s how I know him. Also, he has a very beautiful painting of Marilyn Monroe. The heels of her shoes… They are guns!

How do you normally acquire paintings – directly or via auctions?

Both.

Who are your favorite artists or painters?

I love all of them! When you collect you cannot say: “This one is the best one”. I would be a strange collector if I collect ones that I don’t love. It is the same as what my husband, Baron Thyssen, said: “I am falling in love with all the paintings I have”. It’s a special feeling – to be able to love paintings…

Every year I receive sales catalogues from all around the world – there are a lot of auctions. And I look at all of them – not only to buy, but also to know what is going on in the world of art. I find out the prices, so I know what is the current market situation.

What are the most expensive works of arts in the world and who are the owners?

There is Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci. On a historic night in 2017 at Christie’s in New York, Salvator Mundi, a depiction of Christ as “Saviour of the World” by one of history’s greatest and most renowned artists, sold for $450,312,500, becoming the most expensive painting ever sold at auction! The owner is a sheikh from Saudi Arabia.

A Chinese taxi driver turned billionaire art collector, Liu Yiqian, has paid a record-breaking $170 million for a painting of a nude woman by Amedeo Modigliani in New York.

It was a funny story. The same buyer acquired a second painting from Modigliani where appears the same woman (a very elegant one) as the first painting sold but painted from backsides. So the Chinese owner has the same woman painted by the artist Amedeo Modigliani from both sides.

I wish I had the money to buy it!

Basella Moto Museum is recognized as one of the best motorcycle museums in Europe and it has become an icon for all motorsport fans, says the museum director, Cristina Soler

The Basella Motorcycle Museum is recognized as one of the best motorcycle museums in Europe, and it is an obligatory stop on the route to Andorra. The museum director, Cristina Soler, tells all-andorra.com about the museum’s main exhibits, its history and why this tourist spot is a must-visit:

“The Bassella Motorcycle Museum gives continuity to the task performed by Mario Soler (1907-1991), a devoted motorbike and mechanics fan, who for many years, in his small workshop in Bassella (Lleida), with his hands and talent, recovered a great number of motorcycles. Thanks to this effort, he became a reputable restorer and one of the first collectors in Spain.

About 5000 visitors come to see our exhibition every year.

The rarest exhibits in our collection are Neracar 1929, as its name shows, “near a car”, it pretended to become a car but could not reach it, or the Corgi Excelsior Spirit 1944, used during the Normandy landing (World War II) in order to support the ground troops. Among the most ancient exhibits are two French motorcycles – Clement, 142cc from 1902 and Peugeot 200cc from 1909. Each bike of the museum has its own story, some of them very curious.

We exhibit motorcycles from all around the world: France, England, Spain, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, Germany and others.

Our lastest main purchase was a unique Peugeot from 1909.

It is a private initiative managed by the Motorcycle Museum Foundation Mario Soler, a non-profit entity that works in order to promote the motorcycles values, its past, present and future and is in charge of the Bassella Motorcycle Museum as well.

The museum covers more than 1000m2, split into two different open plan halls to discover the fascinating motorcycle world through a wide selection of national and international brands.

On the ground floor of the museum, the visitor can see some of the models produced at the start of the 20th century fitted with gas lights, like a Clement from 1902 manufactured in France or a spectacular 4 cylinders FN with a wicker side-car from 1914.

Full article see here