Cash-strapped public art collections may lack the funds to collect art right now, but internationally, the big banks are continuing to collect, lend, and exhibit, says James Tarmy.
In many respects, Spain’s central bank was playing catch-up the minute it was founded in 1782—nearly 100 years after the Bank of England.
From another angle, though, Spain’s Banco de San Carlos, which subsequently became the Banco de España, was ahead of its time: It ranks as having one of the world’s first corporate art collections.
“The president of the Bank of Spain commissioned Francisco Goya to create six works of the bank’s directors,” says Banco de España curator Yolanda Romero. “One of the goals was to preserve the memory of the history of the bank through the portraits, and the other was to promote the art of its time.”
Gradually, the Banco de España was joined by a trickle of other financial institutions, which turned into a flood after World War II... Keep reading on Bloomberg
In many respects, Spain’s central bank was playing catch-up the minute it was founded in 1782—nearly 100 years after the Bank of England.
From another angle, though, Spain’s Banco de San Carlos, which subsequently became the Banco de España, was ahead of its time: It ranks as having one of the world’s first corporate art collections.
“The president of the Bank of Spain commissioned Francisco Goya to create six works of the bank’s directors,” says Banco de España curator Yolanda Romero. “One of the goals was to preserve the memory of the history of the bank through the portraits, and the other was to promote the art of its time.”
Gradually, the Banco de España was joined by a trickle of other financial institutions, which turned into a flood after World War II... Keep reading on Bloomberg