The opening in 2026 of the museum will mark a new stage in the enhancement of the work of the Valencien painter. This structure will take place within the Palacio de Las Comunicaciones, in the city center. It will welcome more than 220 works including some from the collection of the Hispanic Society of America with oils on canvases, gouaches, drawings, sculptures and also photographs, it will be the first partnership of this New York institution with a European city.
The project is distinguished by its museographic dimension and its ambitions of cultural attractiveness. Targeting the local community and international visitors, it must strengthen the place of Valence on the European museum scene. The works on display, selected with the supervision of Blanca Pons-Sorolla, great-granddaughter and specialist in the artist, will cover the major periods of Sorolla’s career and will focus on the diversity of mediums explored by the painter. The system provides for the integration of a specialized shop and “Huntington Café”, in connection with the history of the Hispanic Society of America.
The negotiation between the Generalitat Valenciana (Autonomous Government of the Valencia Community), chaired by Carlos Mazón, and the Hispanic Society of America, led by Guillaume Kientz, was decisive in the realization of the agreement. According to Carlos Mazón, this project corresponds to “An act of emotional and artistic justice with the Valencian painter”. For his part, Guillaume Kientz, a recognized expert in Hispanic art, underlines the will of the Hispanic Society to strengthen the presence of Hispanic art in Europe. The agreement relates to an initial four -year loan, renewable by successive periods, with the ambition a minimum commitment of fifteen years. The generalitat Valenciana is committed to pay 1,150,000 euros per year for the provision of works.
The Palacio de Las Comunicaciones was built from 1915 to 1922 under the aegis of the architect Miguel ángel Navarro Pérez. This building, inscribed as good of local interest, presents an eclectic architecture influenced by Valencien modernism, with an emblematic metal turret crowned with an armillar sphere and a monumental stained glass composed of 370 panels. Former headquarters of the Post Office, the Palace covers more than 9,400 m² and offers a singular architectural framework for the presentation of the collection.
One of the original features of the future museum lies in the creation of an immersive space called “Cube des Fallas”, dedicated to the Valencian party of the same name. This multisensory space will offer a 360 ° experience, aimed at transmitting the intensity of the “Masletàs”, the floral offering, as well as the sound and visual specificities of this local tradition.
The municipality intends, by this initiative, consolidate the museum attractiveness of the city and offer renewed visibility to Sorolla in its native city. For the generalitat, the objective displayed is to “Make Valence an essential point for the knowledge of the artist’s artistic production”. This project is added to the existing cultural offer, carried out in particular by the Museum of Fine Arts and local museum institutions.
The opening of the Sorolla Museum in Valence in 2026 will coincide with the reopening of the Sorolla Museum in Madrid, currently in renovation and enlargement. This concomitance should allow Spain to simultaneously offer two reference places devoted to the artist, to Madrid in the historic house-museum, and in Valence, in the heart of the city which inspired Sorolla throughout its career.
