Museo Sa Bassa Blanca

About the museum

The museum belongs to the Fundación Yannick y Ben Jakober, founded in 1993 by the artists and collectors Yannick Vu and Ben Jakober together with the philanthropist Georges Coulon Karlweis. That same year a former underground cistern on the Sa Bassa Blanca estate was converted to display the Nins collection, a group of children's portraits from the 16th to the 19th centuries. From 1995 the foundation hosted visits from cultural groups, and in January 2001 it opened its doors to the general public.

The main house was designed for the couple by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy and built between 1979 and 1981. It is a work inspired by Hispano-Moorish architecture that retains the outer walls of the former farmhouse and contains a Mudéjar ceiling dated 1498. From 2006 part of the building was opened to the public and gradually turned into exhibition rooms with African, Aboriginal, pre-Columbian and contemporary art. In 2007 the SoKraTes room was added, conceived as a contemporary cabinet of curiosities.

The site is completed by a sculpture park with more than a hundred monumental granite pieces inspired by archaeological objects, the OlivArt, an olive grove with centuries-old trees that replaced the former rose garden, and a post-war military observation post converted into a camera obscura. The Nins collection has been declared a Bien Catalogado and the Mudéjar ceiling a Bien de Interés Cultural of Balearic heritage.

Highlights

• Nins collection: 167 children's portraits from the 16th to the 19th centuries in an underground cistern
• House designed by Hassan Fathy with a Mudéjar ceiling from 1498
• SoKraTes room, with the work “Juke Blue” by James Turrell
• Sculpture park with more than 100 monumental granite pieces
• OlivArt and observatory with camera obscura (by prior appointment)

Permanent exhibitions

• Colección Nins – Collection of 167 children's portraits from the 16th to the 19th centuries, from European royal, aristocratic and middle-class families, shown in a former underground cistern with a display design by Robert Carsen. The selection changes every year with works from two countries.
• Casa Hassan Fathy – Guided tour of the house designed by Hassan Fathy, with African, Aboriginal and pre-Columbian art, a library of around 10,000 volumes and a Mudéjar ceiling from 1498.
• Sala SoKraTes – Contemporary cabinet of curiosities bringing together works from all five continents by aesthetic affinity; includes “Juke Blue” by James Turrell.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Fundación Yannick y Ben Jakober

Admission & discounts

Admission to the Nins and SoKraTes rooms (€12, reduced €10) includes the sculpture park and the OlivArt. An official document must be presented for reduced or free admission. ICOM and AAVIB members also enter free, as do guides and journalists working in the field with a prior booking.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about 8 minutes from Alcúdia and about 50 minutes from Palma airport. From Alcúdia follow the magenta signs “Fundació Museu Sa Bassa Blanca” towards Mal Pas; after the La Bodega del Sol restaurant turn right onto a paved road as far as the Camí del Coll Baix, then continue on a compacted dirt track. On foot, the access gate is to the left of the fence.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Café La Paloma, open to all (Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–17:30; in winter until 17:00). The museum shop offers free bag storage; backpacks, umbrellas, food and drink are not allowed in the rooms.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit