The Museo Nacional Thyssen Bornemisza secures over 180 contemporary works valued at €16 million. Madrid will gain a new public art venue in the former Palacio del Hielo y del Automóvil by 2031.
The Museo Nacional Thyssen Bornemisza in Madrid is set for a major expansion, thanks to a donation of more than 180 contemporary artworks valued at €16 million from TBA21. Alongside this, the museum plans to open a new public venue in the former Palacio del Hielo y del Automóvil, with doors expected to open in 2031.
The announcement came from ministers Arcadi España and Ernest Urtasun, joined by Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza. The donation comes with no financial conditions and is accompanied by a loan of nearly 180 additional works, valued at €10 million. Including a long-term loan of historical pieces already at the museum and valued at €70 million, TBA21’s total commitment to the Spanish state approaches €100 million.
The Spanish government has allocated over €70 million for the renovation of the Palacio del Hielo y del Automóvil, which will house the new venue.
The new art space is designed as a public institution, not just an extension of the current museum. Its focus will be on connecting contemporary art, ecology, and civic participation. The building will also become the Madrid base for the Centro Memorial de las Víctimas del Terrorismo, bringing cultural and social programs together in one place.
Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza described the donation as part of a family tradition, calling a collection “a conversation with the world” rather than a private asset. The selection includes works by Ai Weiwei, Marina Abramović, John Akomfrah, Olafur Eliasson, Joan Jonas, and Bill Viola, covering installations, sculpture, photography, performance, and digital art.
The museum’s leadership says the goal is to become more accessible and relevant, not just larger. Director Ernest Urtasun explained that the new venue will ease crowding at the Palacio de Villahermosa and offer dedicated spaces for education, research, conservation, and public programs. Artistic director Guillermo Solana traced the project’s roots to 2008, with the first joint exhibition with TBA21 held in 2018.
Some media sources report a total of 350 works involved in the deal, while others specify 186 donated and 179 on long-term loan. This discrepancy reflects different methods of counting the package, not a contradiction.
Community involvement is central to the project. The museum plans to work with local residents to decide how the building will be used. The site is also intended to serve as a climate refuge for vulnerable groups during extreme heat, turning ecological responsibility into a practical benefit. An international architecture competition is planned for early 2027, with reopening set for 2031.
This move extends the Thyssen Bornemisza family’s collecting tradition into a fourth generation and strengthens the museum’s role in contemporary art. The new collection is described as a record of how the world sees itself today, shaped by ecological ideas, oceanic knowledge, indigenous perspectives, and political ecologies. For Spain, it is rare for a private collection of this size and value to become public, setting a new standard for cultural ambition and partnership in the country’s museum sector.
