Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava, Art museum in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
The Museo de Bellas Artes de Álava is an art museum in Vitoria-Gasteiz, housed in the Augustín Zulueta Palace and dedicated to Spanish and Basque art from the 18th to the 20th century. Paintings, sculptures, and drawings are spread across several rooms, most of them lit by natural light.
The palace was bought by the Foral Deputation of Álava in 1941, not 1942, to house the Casa de Álava collections, library and archive; the museum opened in 1942. In 1965 a rear pavilion for the Amárica bequest was built by the provincial architect Jesús Guinea. The museum closed for renovations in 1999, after which contemporary art moved to Artium and religious art to the Diocesan Museum.
The collection focuses on Basque artists whose work often depicts local landscapes and everyday life in the region. Walking through the rooms, visitors can see how closely art here is tied to the life and land of Álava province.
The museum is in the center of Vitoria-Gasteiz and easy to reach on foot from most of the city. Signage inside is clear, so it is easy to find your way around even without a guide.
The 1965 rear pavilion was designed by Jesús Guinea, the provincial architect, to house the Fernando de Amárica bequest; his works still occupy a permanent room on the second floor. The palace itself was finished in 1916, and its chapel and vestibule woodwork were made by the Casa Ibargoitia, with original stained glass by the Casa Maumejean.
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