The Case of the Hermitage Barcelona
Article and visualisations for Museum International, the journal of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), published by Taylor & Francis Online.
Museum franchises have been part of our lives for several decades, gathering momentum and taking the cultural world by storm. These museums ‘brands’ are a product of the changes museums have experienced in the past decades that shaped their role as a social agents, and the influence of globalisation, which altered the paradigm of the essence of what museums constitute, and ultimately their new role as diplomatic agents. This article aims to analyse the development, the characteristics and the controversies that have surrounded the Hermitage Barcelona project, which embodies the challenges and opportunities new globalised museums are facing on a museological, political, economic and social level. This project raises social debates around topics such as cultural policy, branding strategy, tourism and identity, issues that it has in common with other satellite museums all over the world, such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi or the Guggenheim Museums. This strong social component underlines the importance of approaching the analysis of new museum models from an interdisciplinary, participatory and culturally sensitive perspective.
Source: Alejandra Linares Figueruelo (2022) Cultural Franchises or Franchising Cultures?, Museum International, 74:1-2, 120-133, DOI: 10.1080/13500775.2022.2157570
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13500775.2022.2157570
A project by Alejandra Linares-Figueruelo
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The data visualisation
Figure 1 – Hermitage Barcelona Board
Who would have been the members of the board of Hermitage Barcelona? According to the information collected in the Spanish Mercantile Register, in addition to the fact that they are all men, they are all businessmen with experience in sectors such as real estate investment, finance or luxury goods.
Figure 2 – Hermitage Barcelona Business Network
One of the particulars that make Hermitage Barcelona unique is its corporate structure. With two bodies: the MHBcn and the HBF. The former, beneficiary of the concession despite not being the applicant. The second, created ex profeso to comply with the regulations of the Russian Federation, which establish that the transfer of artworks can only be made to non-profit organisations
Figure 3 – The Hermitage Barcelona support and detraction
Who supported Hermitage Barcelona? Who was against it?Associations and groups have publicly expressed their support or rejection of the Hermitage Barcelona project, either through manifestos such as: "The Art of Speculation" (against), "Yes to Hermitage Barcelona" or "The Last Chance" (in favour), or through actions and events.
Figure 4 – The Hermitage Barcelona Timeline
The history of the Hermitage Barcelona expands over a long and convulsive decade. During this time, the project has been transformed and has generated an important debate in public opinion. In order to assess the development of the project, it is important to go back to its beginnings and analyse this transformation from its socio-political context, which frames the Hermitage Barcelona project in much broader debates about urban policies, political struggle, tourist models or even the role of culture in times of war.
