The Suñol Soler Collection is one of the most extensive private contemporary art collections in Catalonia and Spain. It is made out of more than two hundred and fifty artists, including a large number of internationally renowned local artists. The coherence and quality of the works that compose the collection provide a broad and representative view of the artistic creation itinerary from 1915 to 2006.
The Suñol Soler Collection reveals a special way of understanding the art of collecting, which is built by a strong affective relationship with the artists, and is based on the trust in each of their projects. As a result of this personal positioning, the collection has been configured by Josep Suñol for more than forty years of dedication, during which he has also established links with gallerists and other professionals related to the world of art. It is through this idea that the collection is considered a particular memory but also a collective one.
The beginnings of the collection are determined by Josep Suñol’s close relationship with the gallery owner and friend Fernando Vijande, with whom he collaborated in the promotion of the national cultural sector after a long period of latency, fruit of the dictatorship. It was at this moment that Josep Suñol built his new residence, also known as Les Escales, a project by Josep Lluís Sert designed to be a residence, but also an exhibition space and warehouse for the collection. This exhibition space was named Galeria 1, and it would not be long before it became insufficient due to the rapid growth of the collection.
In 1979, Galeria 2 was inaugurated, located in the district of Les Corts in Barcelona and current venue of Fundació Suñol. Firstly aimed as a place to store the artworks in optimum conditions, it ended up as a residence space for artists and a must-visit place for collectors from all around the world, especially in a time where it was rare to see contemporary art in Barcelona.
Until 2007, opening year of Fundació Suñol, the Suñol Soler Collection kept expanding and deepening, coinciding with a moment of enormous dynamization of culture in our country. At this stage we must highlight the acquisition of a great number of works by young artists at that time, nowadays acknowledged across the world. On May 21st, 2007 Fundació Suñol opened its doors to the public at Passeig de Gràcia 98, a space where it was possible to show a wide part of the collection through thematic and retrospective exhibitions, to which the space of Nivell Zero was added, dedicated to emerging artists.
By 2019, Fundació Suñol is located in the historic space of Galeria 2, completely renovated with the latest standards for artwork’s preservation. Its aim is to expand its scope of action with the development and implementation of our programmes, collaborations and synergies that add other objectives to those already marked since its creation. It aims to broaden its scope of action with the development and implementation of new programmes, collaborations and synergies that add other objectives to the first settled since its creation.
Fundació Suñol Library is made out of more than 10,000 books. It specialises in contemporary art: books on art theory, specialized magazines, and monographs of artists in the collection or catalogues of previous exhibitions. It is open to the public at the Fundació Suñol venue. We recommend you to contact us in advance to arrange a visit.
One of the main objectives of the Fundació Suñol is the conservation of the works that are part of the Suñol Soler Collection. This results in a series of actions that seek to improve the storage and packaging conditions of the works in the reserve, as well as the intervention in those works that require it.
