Overview
- The museum will pause certain outgoing loans from January 1, 2026 and plans to shut the first‑floor modern and contemporary galleries in 2027, aiming to keep romanesque, gothic and Renaissance rooms open if feasible.
- The expansion centers on the Pabellón Victoria Eugenia with a works tunnel, a visitor walkway and a new entrance by the Font Màgica and the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, with an estimated budget of about €122 million.
- Temporary exhibitions will halt during the core construction years, with the Jujol show slated as the last major exhibition before the pause and no temporary shows in 2028 and 2029.
- Only one external placement is confirmed so far for the exhibition hiatus, a loan to Tokyo, as the MNAC explores additional international and regional venues for works.
- The Sijena dispute escalated after director Pepe Serra’s remarks about transfer risks, prompting an announced criminal complaint for alleged injurias by lawyer Jorge Español and a rebuke from Aragón’s culture chief, as the court ordered five‑day deadlines for valuation and tender specifications and urged immediate restitution of the profane paintings or a justified delay.