Reopening of Casal d'Aiamans and the Fine Arts and Decorative Arts section of the Museum of Majorca

The permanent exhibition of Fine and Decorative Arts will be on display in the refurbished halls of the Museum.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport has invested 7,513,919 euros in the architectonic refurbishment of the Casal d'Aiamans building, the restoration of the collections and the renovation of the museography of the Museum of Majorca.

The first phase of the renovation of the museography of the Museum of Majorca, follows on from the completion of the rehabilitation works of Casal d'Aiamans, developed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport and the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands between 2009 and 2013.

The second phase, consisting of the renovation of the exhibition, is currently at the planning stage and will focus on the renovation of the archaeological collections.

New museography

The new exhibition maintains the previous chronological order, starting with halls dedicated to the Middle Ages and ending with artwork from the beginning of the 20th Century. As a result of this renovation, the Museum of Majorca tries to bring these collections closer to the people in these attractive halls, fitted with new exhibition materials and information aimed at explaining each hall, each stage in history and the principal artists.

The Fine and Decorative Arts exhibition includes a variety of artistic forms including paintings, sculptures, household ceramics, furniture, tile work and architectonic pieces, which include the monumental doors of Santa Eulalia, dating back to the first half of the 14th Century. The collections bring together representative works from the gothic, renaissance, baroque, neo-classical, naturalism, realism, modern and noucentisme periods.

Projects, works and overhaul of the building

Since 1968, the State has carried out partial works on Casal d'Aiamans (repair of the facilities, covering of courtyard, replacement of eaves, alterations to entrance, removal of architectural barriers, etc.) to adapt the building to its present use as a museum. As from 2008, urgent works to upgrade the electrical installations and fire protection features have been carried out.

Between 2010 and 2013, the project for the architectural finish project for the total overhaul of the building has been carried out, together with the alterations necessary for this museum project which opens its doors to the public on Thursday.

Over recent years the following operations have been carried out:

• Repair of water damage to the roof and improvements to the waterproofing and isolation of the joinery works
• Installation of climate control to meet the current demands of temperature and humidity
• Improvement to the interior and exterior floors, the vertical wall coverings and the ceilings
• Provide access to the majority of the areas
• Fitting out of the new exhibition areas
• Adaptation of general services (meeting rooms, teaching area, cafeteria, shop, ticket office and the newly-adapted rest rooms).

There have been no changes to the size of the building or the original distribution, although the loft in the service area has been removed due to the limited space available.

Exterior and interior wall finishes have been recovered by use of stucco, applied by craftsmen, to match that originally applied with the aim of blending with the fabric of this historic part of the city.

In summary, as a result of these projects the Museum of Majorca begins a new stage in its life with its restored architecture and public spaces, which have been modernised in order to house exhibitions. All of this allows the diffusion of its rich cultural heritage, intrinsically linked to the history of the island, as well as offering an opportunity to all those visiting to see and enjoy its important art collections.