- After two years of work on the cloister of the Sabatini building, an 18th century edifice that houses the museum, visitors to the Reina Sofia Museum can now enjoy efficient lighting that is in keeping with the setting.
- The Minister for Education, Culture and Sports, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, attended the presentation, together with Borja Prado, (Chairman of Endesa and the Endesa Foundation), Guillermo de la Dehesa (President of the Royal Trustees of the Reina Sofia Museum), e Manuel Borja-Villel (Director of the Reina Sofia Museum) and other leading figures from the business and cultural world.
The Endesa Foundation launched the new lighting for the cloister of the Reina Sofia Museum’s historic headquarters, the Sabatini building, which was designed and built in the 18th century by the architects José de Hermosilla and Francisco Sabatini,. The aim of the project was to provide this emblematic and special area of the building – it leads into the garden and acts as themain vestibule to various other parts of the Museum – with a uniform and indirect general lighting system, which uses the vaulted ceiling, to improve the visual aspect of the space, while still maintaining the aesthetic harmony with the architectural elements in which it is integrated.
The presentation, which included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, was attended by, the Minister for Education, Culture and Sports, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo. the Chairman of the Endesa Foundation, Borja Prado, and the President of the Royal Trustees of the Reina Sofia Museum, Guillermo de la Dehesa; alongside other leading personalities from the world of business and culture.
As Borja Prado, Chairman of Endesa and the Endesa Foundation said, projects like this form part of the foundation’s DNA. “Our aim at the Endesa Foundation, is to highlight the great importance of the historical and artistic heritage of our country, with these artistic lighting systems that will help visitors to appreciate the immense value of the masterpieces we have been left throughout our past. ”
“We have reached a point in which it is vital to create examples and models, new and more sustainable institutional forms, based on a sense of public service, without forgetting that the main aim is knowledge and not entertainment", commented Guillermo de la Dehesa, President of the Royal Trustees of the Reina Sofia Museum. He also explained that, "the fact that the Endesa Foundation has taken an active part in one of the Reina Sofia Museum’s initiatives, is an important step forward in opening the way for new channels of interaction between the Museum, the artistic community and society". The agreement with the Endesa Foundation has been essential to achieving one of the Museum’s objectives and it has also highlighted civil society’s vital contribution to culture.
During 2015, the Reina Sofia Museum received approximately 3,250,000 visitors, 20% more than the year before. This means that all efforts designed to connect the general public with contemporary art in all its facets are being rewarded.
The Endesa Foundation
The Endesa Foundation, chaired by Borja Prado, has undertaken a wide range of cultural and social activities since it was founded in 1998 as an independent non-profit organisation. The Foundation combines its traditional cultural activities, such as lighting sites which form part of Spain’s artistic heritagewith educational activities. In this regard, the Foundation carries out various activities that include professional training programmes for people at risk of social exclusion, to financing scholarships in prestigious universities and collaborating with educational institutions in promoting entrepreneurship among students that stand out for their attitude and aptitude. The Foundation is also committed to caring for the environment and promoting sustainable practices in terms of energy consumption.