Exhibitions

Banco Santander has commissioned the architect, David Chipperfield, to transform its old head office in Santander into a cultural and leisure venue, the programme for which will revolve around creation and the arts.

In collaboration with Banco Santander, the foundation has developed the ‘¡Vísteme con arte!’ initiative, which has converted the worksite fencing on the southern façade of the Edificio Pereda into an open-air contemporary art exhibition.

Under the slogan ‘Esperanza y utopía’ (‘Hope and utopia’), fourteen artists from Cantabria, or closely linked to the region, adorned the fencing with their creations inspired in the works that make up the Banco Santander Collection. During the 3 and 4 June the public were able to watch the creative process involved in these works, which will be on display until completion of the restoration work on the building.

The different stylistic approaches and techniques (collage, drawing, painting, photography, etc.) reflect, among other issues, on gender equality, concern for the environment and the use of technology.

Banco Santander ha encargado al arquitecto David Chipperfield la transformación de su antigua sede de la capital cántabra en un espacio cultural y de ocio cuya programación girará en torno a las artes y la creación.

La Fundación ha desarrollado, en colaboración con el Banco, «¡Vísteme con arte!», una iniciativa que ha convertido el vallado que cubre las obras de la fachada sur del edificio Pereda en una exposición de arte contemporáneo al aire libre.   

Bajo el lema «Esperanza y utopía», catorce artistas de origen cántabro o estrechamente vinculados con la región revistieron las vallas con creaciones propias inspiradas en las piezas que componen la colección artística del Banco. Durante el 3 y el 4 de junio el público pudo observar en directo el proceso creativo de estas intervenciones, que se exhibirán hasta que finalice la remodelación del edificio.

Sus propuestas, de diferentes estilos y técnicas (collage, dibujo, pintura, fotografía, etc.), reflexionan, entre otras cuestiones, sobre la igualdad de género, la preocupación medioambiental y el uso de la tecnología.

The foundation collaborated with Banco Santander Portugal and the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisboa) in organising this exhibition dedicated to portraiture.

A selection of paintings and sculptures served as the starting point to examine the genre and the different reasons that have led humankind to immortalise itself throughout history. The collection of artistic representations of several personalities (monarchs, religious and military figures, bankers, artists, etc.) dating from the 16^th century to the present day offered visitors an insight into just how the function of portraiture has changed with the passing of time.

Among them were ten works belonging to the Banco Santander Collection in Spain created by artists of the stature of Zuloaga, Sorolla, Piñole, Gutiérrez Solana and Benlliure.

The exhibition opened on 18 December, but had to close temporarily to the public the following 23 due to a worsening of the health situation. It was eventually re-opened on 16 March and is expected to close, in principle, on 31 October 2022.

Since 2004, the foundation has been sponsoring the La Obra Invitada programme, courtesy of which the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao exhibits works belonging to other museums and collections.

From 13 May to 5 September 2021, the general public were afforded the chance for the very first time to see three works by El Greco (San Francisco en éxtasis, 1594-1604), Velázquez (La venerable madre Jerónima de la Fuente, 1620) and Goya (Lazarillo de Tormes, c. 1808-1810), which were brought together by Dr. Gregorio Marañón’s daughter, Carmen Marañón-Fernández de Araoz. In addition to these, they had the opportunity to see the portrait of the collector painted by Ignacio Zuloaga in 1931.

From 17 November 2021 to 27 March 2022, the gallery showed two works by the brothers José and Ramiro Arrue, entitled Baserritarrak and Fandango, respectively. Both works adorned the French-Basque pavilion at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris back in 1925, at which they were prize winners at that landmark Art Deco event. The former of the two was donated to the museum by the artist’s family, while the latter is on loan from the Council of San Juan de Luz.