Vigo – Spain's Art Heritage is Alive in Museums
From Prehistoric to Contemporary Art in a Spanish Cruise Port
Mar 17, 2009
Cruise ships repositioning between the Mediterranean and northern European ports stop regularly in Vigo, where most passengers alight and board buses for Santiago de Compostella. But those who have stopped here before and have already made the trip to the city of St. James may choose to spend the day getting to know this Spanish port. They will be rewarded by an abundance of contemporary architecture, art and gardens. Most of the museums are free.
Pazo de Quiñones de León
The 17th-century Pazo de Quiñones de León stands in the Castrelos park, and is the city’s principal museum. Part of it re-creates the manor house interior, displaying artifacts from the city’s long history. Elsewhere are galleries of objects from archaeological excavations in and around Vigo, which was a major settlement area for early Celtic tribes. Galician artists, including Colmeiro, Maside, Lugrís, Laxeiro and Sucasas are represented in the art galleries.
The baroque manor house is surrounded by botanical gardens that are brilliant in blooming camellias in the early spring, but pleasant to stroll at any season. Within its extensive boundaries are a French garden, an English garden of the Romantic Period, a rose garden and a woodland. Quiet corners of the park contain a pond with fountains and water birds. In the spring, at the height of the camilla bloom, Pazo de Quiñones de León joins several other major gardens in Galicia to offer a garden tour. Both the museum and its gardens are free.
Casa das Artes
Casa das Artes is the home of the Laxeiro Goundation and the Luis Torras collection, and the main center for the city’s cultural and art exhibits. These change frequently, but always relate to contemporary artists and their work. It is also free.
Museo de Arte Contemporánea
The newest is the Museo de Arte Contemporánea de Vigo, known as Marco for short. dedicated to contemporary art and culture, it shows cutting edge works of current art and culture at the local, national and international level. These cover plastic arts, architecture, design, video and film, as well as fine arts. Special concerns are Galician artists, especially Avant Garde and emerging.
Espacio Colección Caixanova
The last century and a half of Galician artists is the concern on this gallery space, where exhibits give them relevance by putting them in context with their times and other contemporary artists’ work. The building itself is part of Vigo’s artistic heritage, one of its finest examples of 19th-century architecture.
