IVAM launches permanent exhibition of 500 works with a hybrid chronological and thematic journey through 20th- and 21st-century art
The Institut Valencià d'Art Modern (IVAM) in Valencia has presented 'La Colección del IVAM hasta hoy', a new permanent display of over 500 pieces that charts the main currents of modern and contemporary art through a central chronological itinerary and four thematic paths.
A hybrid approach to art history
The exhibition, which occupies 1,500 sqm across ten rooms, was unveiled on Wednesday after more than a year of work by the museum's entire curatorial team. It brings together 500 works by 266 artists, ranging from early 20th-century avant-gardes to the present day. The display is designed as a "hybrid exhibition model", combining a main chronological route with four parallel thematic journeys that visitors can follow via printed guides or QR codes.
There is a main chronological itinerary that intertwines simultaneously with four parallel thematic routes revolving around colour, ecologies, feminisms and conflicts.
Voices from the opening
The presentation in the Centre Julio González hall was attended by the regional secretary of culture, Marta Alonso, and the eight curators: Blanca de la Torre, Marta Arroyo, Ramon Escrivà, Mª Jesús Folch, Yolanda Franco, Teresa Millet, Sandra Moros and Josep Salvador. Alonso noted that the collection returns as a permanent display after more than two decades, stressing its "singularity and excellence."
The IVAM collection is being presented permanently again after more than twenty years, returning to the public the chance to encounter one of the most important artistic heritages of the Valencian Community.
From canonical names to overlooked works
The curators have deliberately paired iconic figures (Sonia Delaunay, Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Equipo Crónica) with less familiar creators to question the traditional canon. De la Torre explained that alongside large paintings and sculptures, the show highlights books, drawings, photomontages, graphic work, publications and models (material long treated as secondary). The Soviet avant-garde room, featuring a striking Rodchenko poster for Eisenstein's film, is one of the strengths of the collection identified by multiple outlets.
We seek to break with the traditional linear narrative in order to foster multiple stories, generate critical intersections and open spaces for dialogue between History and micro-histories.
A collection shaped by its origins
Because the IVAM began acquiring works in the mid-1980s as a publicly funded museum, the collection reflects both the European historiographical canon and deliberate bets on specific artists and media. The base was built around the sculptures of Julio González, which merge the artisanal and the industrial. The holdings also include extensive experimental and documentary photography (from Walker Evans to Robert Frank) and a rich body of graphic art, books, posters and designs from the interwar avant-gardes, acquired long before the "archive" became a staple of contemporary art discourse.
A sustainable museography
The display design by Smart & Green Design follows the international trend of revealing the hidden workings of museums, a gesture seen in institutions such as the Victoria & Albert in London or Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The IVAM has also revived the logo designed by Andreu Alfaro, now incorporating the colours of the four thematic routes.
