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The MNAC appeals against the court decision that sets 56 weeks for the transfer of the Sixena paintings
The Huesca court rejects the museum's arguments and establishes a timetable that opens a new chapter in the conflict over Sixena's heritage.
At the always delicate meeting point between heritage, politics and justice, the case of the Sixena mural paintings is once again at the centre of the cultural debate. The National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) has announced that it will appeal the recent decision of the Court of First Instance number 2 of Huesca, which sets the deadline for completing the transfer of the works to the Sijena monastery, in Aragon, at 56 weeks.
The court ruling establishes for the first time a specific timetable in a dispute that has dragged on for years. The Catalan museum, which had previously proposed a longer timetable —of around fifteen months—, considers the margin set by the court insufficient and is preparing an appeal that it will file within the legal deadline of five days.
According to the text of the resolution, the judge rejects the warnings made by the MNAC about the technical difficulties of the transfer and refers to the 2016 ruling, later ratified by the Supreme Court, which indicated that no expert had concluded that the transfer was impossible or that it necessarily implied the destruction of the paintings. At the same time, a report provided by the Government of Aragon is accepted which defends that the monastery's chapter house, recently rehabilitated, meets the appropriate conditions to house the works.
With these arguments, the court considers it viable to carry out the transfer within the established period of 56 weeks, a period that is even longer than the seven months initially suggested by the Aragonese government, but shorter than the approach of the Barcelona museum. The judge assumes that the previous studies and technical diagnosis have already been carried out, which would allow the process to be accelerated.
The resolution also introduces an unexpected element: the possibility of setting up a commission of experts to agree on the details of the transfer. However, this space for negotiation is conditional on strict compliance with the established deadline, which may not exceed the 56 weeks established by the court.
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