News
Aragon technicians enter the MNAC for the works of Sixena and their transfer
New phase in the litigation of the Sixena paintings case.
Rooms 16 and 17 of the National Art Museum of Catalonia are the spaces where the four technicians from Aragon are working behind closed doors to find out the condition of the Sixena paintings. Scanning, photogrammetry and inspection of the well-known mural paintings are what they have carried out, in a new phase of this entire litigation.
The technicians of the autonomous community must assess how to transfer this set dating from the 12th and 13th centuries that decorated the royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Sixena, founded by Queen Sança of Castile, wife of Alfonso the Chaste, King of Aragon.
In this new phase, the question remains of what the technicians will do. A staff that has begun the work of photogrammetric survey, a technique that allows a precise comparison between the preserved mural paintings and those of the Chapter Hall of the Sixena monastery, in Huesca, the space that will host them again. This strategy is a key step to guarantee the correct transfer and future conservation of the works in their original location.
At the same time, it is planned to request access to all documentation related to the treatment and conservation of the mural paintings, as well as to compile detailed information on the environmental conditions of rooms 16 and 17, where the works are currently kept. Despite these advances, Aragonese sources indicate that, to date, the technical team has not been provided with the required documentation, which is essential for an appropriate intervention that respects the heritage value of the paintings.
Once the murals are returned to the Chapter House, the Government of Aragon has indicated that the corresponding preservation measures will be applied, in accordance with the provisions of the decree of measures issued by the judicial authority. In other words, it will be ensured that the conservation conditions are optimal and comply with the standards required in matters of historical heritage.
Return of the paintings: what is the chronological framework?
The MNAC will have to return the Sixena paintings to Aragon by court decision. A litigation that runs parallel to other open cases of Spanish heritage, but in this case the deadline is seven months to return the works. It should be remembered that Rocío Pilar Vargas, judge in the case, gave the Catalan Museum the option of creating an alternative timeline.
Statements by Salvador Illa and Jorge Azcón about the case
The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has responded to the accusations of the President of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, who has accused him of "lying" and not showing a collaborative attitude in the process of returning the murals of Sixena. Illa has defended the work of Catalan institutions in the preservation of artistic heritage, highlighting the contribution of the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) in the conservation of works that, in his words, "would not exist if it were not for the work of the MNAC". He has also noted that recognition for this work should be the first gesture by the Aragonese government.
In contrast, Azcón has stated that Illa had guaranteed him collaboration in the transfer of the works, but maintains that the attitude shown by both the Generalitat and the Barcelona City Council and the Ministry of Culture has been "radically contrary" to the commitment made. In this context, the Aragonese president has hinted at a doubt about Illa's word: "Either he lied to me, or he does not have the capacity to control the bodies of Catalonia", he stated.
This exchange of reproaches demonstrates the political tension surrounding the complex process of restitution of the mural paintings of Sixena, an issue that transcends the legal sphere and enters fully into the institutional and territorial dispute.
