A century of Obra Social and coleccionismo institutional: CECA gathers in ARCH to five associated companies (four foundations and a banking organisation) for visibilizar its cultural and artistic network, one of the elders of the country
The more than thirty foundations of the sector CECA strengthen its commitment maintained with the culture: 172 invested million euros in 2024 and more than 11 million payees
CECA highlights the essential role that its sector (composed of its financial institutions - CaixaBank, Unicaja, Ibercaja, Kutxabank, ABANCA, Caixa Ontinyent, Colonya-Caixa Pollença and Cecabank - and more than thirty foundations) carries out in the boost of the art, the culture and the heritage conservation in Spain. A work that will have a space of reflection and visibility in ARCOmadrid.
Under the title Collections that they emerge. A century of culture and commitment of companies and foundations CECA, the meeting will gather to representatives of different foundations, associations, experts and agents social of the country to ponder on the role transformer of the culture and the social value of the coleccionismo institutional.
CECA: a cultural network unique in Spain
CECA groups to an ecosystem that constitutes today one of the social action private networks and cultural more relevant of the country.
One of the differential characteristics of the cultural activity of the sector CECA is its extensive capillarity, that allows a broad array in the 17 autonomous communities. The dense territorial implementation promotes that the culture is a tool of cohesion social that it promotes collective and universal access identity to the knowledge. In addition, his Obra Social promotes the heritage protection historic-artistic.
Overall, the sector CECA manages more than 700 centres, equipments and establishments that constitute a broad property assets distributed all over the country, among which are included exhibition rooms, auditoriums, centres of great, conference halls, sport and spaces equipments located at natural environments, such as parks or forests.
A very significant part of this assets corresponds to classed historic buildings and spaces as a Property of Cultural Interest (BIC), that they constitute the prevailing classification within the set of foundations of the sector, with a total of 128 declared properties, whose conservation and maintenance assume as an essential part of its social responsibility and cultural. In this context, the exhibition rooms and the auditoriums are set up such as infrastructures key for the freelance development of the cultural activity and the promotion of the art boosted by the companies associated with CECA.
Culture, assets and continuity: an investment maintained in the time
The CECA foundations, via his Obra Social, constitute the first social investor private in Spain, with an accumulated investment higher than 906 million euros.
Only in 2024, the area of culture and assets concentrated an investment of more than 172 million euros, reified in 25,987 cultural activities, that they reached to more than 11 million payees. These figures reflect a clear and continuing commitment for the culture as a structural part of the historic commitment of the companies and CECA foundations.
This evidence work the social dimension of the sector CECA: a banking and some foundations that they invest in culture, protect the assets, support to the creators and they strengthen the country's artistic network from a long-distance vision.
Five companies, five gazes in ARCOmadrid
Representatives of four of the foundations of CECA and one of its financial institutions will celebrate a meeting in the space of more significant contemporary art of the country: ABANCA, performance benchmark in the management of one of the artistic collections more relevant northwestern peninsular, integrating culture, territory and sustainability; Fundación Ibercaja, with a path of 150 years in the cultural promotion, the art education and the promotion of the assets in different territories; Fundación “la Caixa ”, promoter of one of the more influential contemporary art collections of Europe and of a cultural scheduling of international outreach; Fundación Mediterranean, company firmly committed to the preservation of the assets and the cultural boost in the Mediterranean arch, and CATTLE RANCHES (Fundación Obra Social of Castile-Leon), manager of an outstanding artistic assets and documentary, as the administration of the House Museum Gaudí's Ankle boots.