Fundación Díaz-Caneja. Museo de Arte Contemporáneo

About the museum

The museum originated in the idea, in the late 1970s, of creating a centre in Palencia for the work of the painter Juan Manuel Díaz-Caneja. In 1988 the artist donated 44 paintings to the city, and in 1991 the Fundación Díaz-Caneja was established. The museum opened in June 1995 in the former Casa de la Cultura, a functionalist building of the 1960s by the architect Luis Gutiérrez Gallego, remodelled and extended for its new purpose. It is the oldest contemporary art museum in Castilla y León.

In 1995 the painter's widow, Isabel Fernández Almansa, donated another 75 paintings, bringing the collection to 119 works. In 2007 the museum joined the Network of Museums and Museographic Collections of Castilla y León, and in 2013 its friends' association was created. It is funded by grants from the Palencia City Council and Provincial Council, the Junta de Castilla y León and the Ministry of Culture and Sport, which together with the artist's family form its board of trustees.

Since 2022, under the direction of Juan Guardiola Román, the institution also presents itself as a Centre for Landscape, Environment and Rurality. In addition to the permanent collection rooms and temporary exhibition spaces, it has a library, an auditorium, workshop classrooms and artist residencies, and it hosts lectures, concerts, screenings and book presentations.

Highlights

• Permanent collection devoted to Juan Manuel Díaz-Caneja, with more than a hundred works
• Oldest contemporary art museum in Castilla y León
• Room 0 with four thematic areas: Avant-garde, Vallecas School, Civil War and Postwar, and Rural
• Functionalist building of the 1960s adapted as a museum
• Public programmes, artist residencies and auditorium

Permanent exhibition

• Colección permanente: Sala 0 y Laboratorio – Review of Díaz-Caneja's work in four thematic areas (Avant-garde, Vallecas School, Civil War and Postwar, and Rural), in dialogue with contemporary artists, texts and archive material.

Founded

1995

Operated by

Fundación Díaz-Caneja

Director

Juan Guardiola Román

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Sundays and public holidays, 23 April (Community Day), 18 May (International Museum Day), 24 June (anniversary of the opening of the Foundation) and 2 September (San Antolín).

The fee applies to the permanent collection; temporary exhibitions and public programmes are free of charge. Unemployed people, teaching staff and accredited journalists also enter free, as do Foundation friends, civic and educational volunteers, and members of ICOM and of the Spanish Federation of Friends of Museums.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The galleries are accessible by wheelchair and pushchair. The entrance on Calle de Lope de Vega has steps; the entrance on Calle del Obispo Nicolás Castellanos has a wide ramp with a handrail (the door is heavy and staff open it from reception). There is a lift with visual numbering and braille and raised-lettering signage, without an audible announcement, and a single accessible toilet on the basement level. Wheelchairs and walking-stick seats can be borrowed at reception and reserved in advance. Room leaflets are available as accessible PDFs and via QR codes; videos have Spanish subtitles. There are parking spaces next to the building, on request by telephone.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

Pushchairs are allowed. The education programme includes workshops for primary school pupils, such as “Enséñame tu paisaje” and “Campo de flores”.

Getting there & parking

The train station is about 150 m from the museum. Villanubla Airport (Valladolid) is about 40 minutes away by car.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check
• Lockers

Cloakroom and lockers available to the public. The building has a library and an assembly hall with 163 seats.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 163 guests.

Spaces are rented for lectures, meetings, filming, book launches and press conferences, provided there is free space and the activity is related to the Foundation's aims. Written request one month in advance to fundacion@diaz-caneja.org. The assembly hall can hold 163 people.

Plan your visit