Collecting and the Antiquarian Market: the Case of Frederic Marès (1893-1991)

Abstract

The Frederic Marès Museum (MFM) was created from the personal collection of sculptures and other objects donated to the city of Barcelona by the sculptor Frederic Marès (1893-1991). Marès first expressed his interest in making the gift to the city in 1944. The Barcelona City Hall responded positively to his offer and, in return, gave him one of the city’s finest buildings in the Barcelona Gothic style, which was then under renovation. From that time until his death, Marès continued to expand his collections, particularly the sculpture collection. His aim was to trace a history of Spanish sculpture with special emphasis on polychrome works from the 11th to the 19th centuries. In discussions of Frederic Marès, however, it often seems that he himself was the only individual responsible for building the great sculpture collection that today makes the museum so special. While he was undoubtedly the main protagonist in the story, his keen enthusiasm in creating these various collections led him of necessity to draw on the close and fruitful collaboration of countless other individuals and institutions. The objective of this text is to highlight some of the most representative cases by which this collaboration enriched the collections of the museum. Collections and the antiquarian market reflect two of the closely tied factors of central importance that have gone hand in hand throughout the history of the museum.