Frida's works at Banco Santander's Art Center Opening in Spain next September 8
29 July 2026
On September 8, the Banco Santander Foundation will open Faro Santander, a brand-new art museum and cultural center on the northern coast of Spain. The institution released its first exhibition schedule this week. One is based on the controversial Gelman Santander Collection, while the other is based on the extensive Banco Santander Collection.
The "Banco Santander Collection", which includes more than 1,000 paintings, sculptures, decorative art pieces, and even currency from the second century B.C.E. to the present, will be on display on one floor of Faro Santander through February 2027.
In the meantime, examples from the 300-piece Gelman Collection, which includes 95 pieces of contemporary Mexican art, will be on display in "Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection." Some of these artworks, such as Diego Rivera's 1943 "Calla Lily Vendor" and Frida Kahlo's 1943 "Self Portrait as a Tehuana", were purchased by European immigrants Jacques and Natasha Gelman from the stars of their time.
When word came out in January that the Gelman Collection was now owned by Mexico's affluent Zambrano family, who had enlisted the Banco Santander Foundation to care for it, controversy erupted. For the first time in 20 years, about 68 pieces were on display at Mexico City's Museo de Arte Moderno a few months ago. MAM director Marisol Argüelles, who curated both exhibitions, told El Pais that Faro Santander's edition will mostly be similar to its predecessor. The show has drawn criticism for going against both the Gelmans' wishes and Mexico's stringent export regulations. To that end, “Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection” will only remain on view through January 10, 2027.
Click here for the clarification published in the Banco Santander Foundation website regarding the Gelman Santander Collection.
Read the complete Artnet article at the link below.
