Lleida art historian Albert Velasco has criticised the handling of the Sixena monastery paintings dispute, saying Catalonia has faced Aragon’s pressure with too little force. He has published a new book, Les pintures de Sixena. Un foc que encara crema (The Sixena Paintings: A Fire Still Burning), on the long-running conflict over the fragile mural paintings.
The paintings are held at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona. A court ruling has ordered their return to the Sixena monastery in Aragon, but experts warn that moving them would be extremely risky because of their delicate condition. For background on the museum, see the MNAC official site.
Velasco says the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain (IPCE) have applied a double standard. He points out that the IPCE has previously warned against moving major works such as Picasso’s Guernica and the Lady of Elx sculpture, but has not taken a public position on the Sixena murals. The ministry has not commented on his claims.
He also criticises the Catalan government, saying it has been too cautious and has not appealed to the Constitutional Court. Velasco says no Catalan minister, under any political colour, has sought financial compensation for the movable assets from Sixena. He argues that Aragon has taken a much harder line, while Catalonia has avoided open confrontation.
According to Velasco, the dispute is not only a patrimonial case but a political conflict linked to the wider Catalonia-Spain context. He says the rulings on Sixena and the art from La Franja coincided with the procés, which made the situation worse. He also says historical figures such as Josep Gudiol have been unfairly portrayed, and that the conflict has been shaped by narratives dating back to the Spanish Civil War.
Velasco believes the paintings may ultimately stay in Barcelona. In December, the judge asked both sides to propose highly prestigious individuals and institutions to advise on how to carry out the sentence. He expects specialists such as Gianluigi Colallucci and Simona Sajeva to recommend against moving the works. For more local coverage, see our news page.
