Exhibitions

MUBAM unveils newly restored treasures from the Adela Barba Collection

bonart múrcia - 11/06/26

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The Museum of Fine Arts of Murcia (MUBAM) is expanding its exhibition "The Adela Barba Art Collection: A Legacy for Murcia" starting this Friday with the addition of a dozen recently restored works, thus consolidating one of the most important private art deposits received by the institution in recent decades.

The exhibition, housed in the museum's Contraste Pavilion, brings together 31 pieces, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative objects dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The collection comes from one of the most prominent private collections in the Region of Murcia and offers a journey through Spanish, Italian, Flemish, and Neapolitan artistic creation of the Early Modern period.

Among the new additions are works of great historical and artistic interest such as Ascension of Christ , attributed to the Bolognese painter Giulio Cesare Procaccini; Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata , from the workshop of José de Ribera; Saint John the Baptist with the Lamb , inspired by models of the Valencian master himself; and The Prophet Elijah Taken Up in the Chariot of Fire , related to the artistic environment of Francisco Ribalta.

The Regional Minister of Culture, Carmen Conesa, emphasized during the presentation that this deposit is "one of the most important" received by the Murcia museum. She also underscored the significance of the work carried out by the Restoration Center of the Region of Murcia, whose intervention has allowed the pieces to regain their original splendor and ensure their future preservation.

The collection takes its current name from Adela Barba, although its origins date back to the late 19th century. It was then that Juana García de la Cuesta y Ruiz de Monsalve, the first Marchioness of Villamantilla de Perales, began to assemble a significant art collection with her husband, Senator Diego González Conde y González. Over time, the works have remained with the same family, preserving their identity as a collective collection.

The collection brings together works by renowned artists, schools, and workshops from across Europe. Its holdings include pieces by Procaccini, Ribera, Ribalta, Mateo Cerezo, Collin de Vermont, Arteaga, and Frank Franckel, as well as works by Italian, Flemish, and Neapolitan masters. The predominant themes revolve around scenes from the Old and New Testaments, reflecting the profound influence of religious tradition on modern art.