The companies associated with CECA vindicate in ARCH the value of its artistic assets and cultural

Representatives of ABANCA, Fundación ”la Caixa ”, Fundación Ibercaja, Fundación Mediterranean and CATTLE RANCHES shared in ARCOmadrid the role of the companies in the heritage conservation and the boost to the contemporary creation

The sector CECA allocated 172 million euros to culture and assets in 2024, reaching to more than 11 million payees

The companies and foundations of the sector CECA have highlighted the role that they carry out in the artistic heritage conservation, the support to the contemporary creation and the access to the culture in everything the territory during a meeting held in ARCOmadrid last weekend.

Under the title Collections that they emerge. A century of culture and commitment of companies and foundations CECA, the meeting gathered to representatives of five companies of the sector —ABANCA, Fundación ”la Caixa ”, Fundación Ibercaja, Fundación Mediterranean and FUNDOS— in a public conversation to ponder on the social value of the coleccionismo institutional and the role of the companies of CECA in the cultural ecosystem Spanish.

In the round table participated Fernando Filgueiras (ABANCA), Mayte Ciriza (Fundación Ibercaja), Nimfa Bisbe (Fundación ”la Caixa ”), Carmen Morales (Fundación Mediterranean) and Raúl Fernández Sobrino (CATTLE RANCHES).

During the session, the speakers shared some projects more relevant than its institutions develop currently around the conservation, activation and promotion of its artistic collections, as well as its commitment with the access to the culture, the art education and the decentralisation of the cultural supply.

“The contribution of the companies from CECA to the world of the art demonstrates of many ways: via the promotion, of the creation and of the disclosure, but above all of its capillarity, then they have more than 700 centres for the disclosure of the art that they are lively assets of our territories. The contribution to the culture is part of a much broader context, that it is that one of our Obra Social, in which in 2024 the CECA companies invested more than 900 million euros. Of these, about 172 millions went for the promotion of the culture and of the art, which demonstrates that this commitment is a structural element of our social”commitment, Antonio Romero explained, CECA's Managing Director.

Collections that they generate cultural value and social

Furthermore, the speakers highlighted how companies of the sector CECA manage significant art collections and assets that, in addition to keep and research, go off via exhibitions, educational softwares, cultural centres and projects back-up to artists.

In the first place, Fernando Filgueiras, coordinator of the Collection of Art of ABANCA and responsible for Sustainability in Afundación, emphasised the role that they carry out the corporate as tools collections to connect culture, territory and company.

“The Collection ABANCA is a lively assets that the bank has the honour of guarding and, above all, the accountability of sharing with the public in different exhibitions that are organised, but also via multiple service channels that the technology us offers”, added.

Furthermore, Mayte Ciriza, director of Culture of Fundación Ibercaja, underlined the institution's historic role in the cultural promotion and it announced some next year landmarks.

“Fundación Ibercaja celebrates in 2026 its 150 anniversary and reasserts the transformation culture as axis and development of the territory. The opening in October of the new Museum Goya supposes a major contribution to the art and in the international reach of Zaragoza, with a significant exhibition dedicated to Goya, forerunner of the modern art. In addition, the Prize Fundación Ibercaja of Young Paintings, national performance benchmark, drives the emerging talent and strengthens our commitment with the contemporary”creation, told.

In the case of Fundación ”la Caixa ”, its responsible for collection emphasised the route of its collection of contemporary art, one of the more relevant of the European field.

“Our Collection fulfills forty years of history”, the director explained of the Collection of Contemporary Art of the foundation, Nimfa Bisbe. “From its creation, in 1985, has always had a clear public vocation and of international reach, and an intense expositive activity, that we will complement shortly with the project ArtHub, the new site that we are building in L’Hospitalet (Barcelona), conceived to preserve, activate and share the Collection and set aside for strengthen its cultural and social”impact, moved forward.

Furthermore, Carmen Morales, director of MediterraneanFundación, put the focus in the patrimonial value of its collection and in its public promotion.

“The Collection of Contemporary Art of the Mediterranean Fundación gathers works of the essential creators of the Spanish art from the democratic Transition until beginnings of the twenty-first century. Our presence in ARCH, thanks to CECA, supposes the first opportunity of presenting nationwide this part of our built assets with public rigorousness and vocation and is for this reason a very special occasion for us”, told.

Similarly, Raúl Fernández Sobrino, Culture director and CATTLE RANCHAssets, talked on the future dimension and reach of the assets that manages its foundation.

“For CATTLE RANCHES has been a major satisfaction being able to present its collections in the convoked round table by CECA, in which have participated various organisations of our sector. Our Fundación has collections of fine arts, decorative arts and ethnography that exceed the 14,000 pieces. For its management, have just added to our infrastructure CATTLE RANCHES Study, a logistic centre of pioneering cultural heritage in Castile-Leon ”, explained.

CECA: a cultural network with presence in everything the territory

The meeting also has served for visibilizar the dimension of the cultural ecosystem that they constitute the companies and foundations of the sector CECA, a network that combines historical heritage, artistic collections, cultural centres and educational softwares distributed throughout the country.

Only in 2024, the area of culture and assets concentrated more than 172 million euros of investment, reified in 25,987 cultural activities that they reached to more than 11 million payees.

These figures reflect the commitment maintained of the companies and foundations CECA with the culture, the assets and the access to the knowledge, as well as its role as one of the private promoters principals of the cultural life in Spain.