Barcelona is getting a new Carmen Thyssen Museum

The investment fund Stoneweg has acquired the former Comedia Cinema building on Passeig de Gràcia, where it plans to open the new Carmen Thyssen Museum in Barcelona.

The Pla i Planàs families had previously signed a preliminary lease agreement with Carmen Cervera and Stoneweg in May. However, the arrangement has now been finalized as a purchase agreement.

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni hailed the agreement as "great news for the city," while the Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández Almodóvar, called it "fantastic," expressing her hope that it would not come at the expense of the Sant Feliu de Guíxols location.

The sale was finalized this Friday. According to sources, the decision to purchase rather than lease the property was made to fulfill Baroness Thyssen's vision for an ambitious project, as leasing would have imposed limitations.

Collboni emphasized that the new museum represents "a qualitative leap in Barcelona's museum offerings" and will "culturally diversify the city center."

According to La Vanguardia, the operation, including acquisition and renovation costs, exceeds €100 million, though sources close to the deal have declined to confirm this figure.

The mayor also noted that this significant private investment will bolster Barcelona’s reputation as a cultural capital, along with planned expansions of MACBA and MNAC.

Minister Hernández Almodóvar praised the initiative, stating, "any cultural project in our country that can move forward like a bolt of lightning is fantastic."

However, she also stressed the importance of ensuring that this development does not undermine the museum in Sant Feliu de Guíxols. "I believe both initiatives can coexist without detriment to the other," she said.