Museu d'Art Jaume Morera

The Museu d'Art Jaume Morera is the museum of modern and contemporary art in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 1914 through collaboration between the Diputacio de Lleida, the Lleida City Council (La Paeria), and the painter Jaume Morera i Galicia, it is municipally owned and receives financial support from the Diputacio de Lleida and the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia. The museum holds particular significance as the principal institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art in the city, with a history marked by multiple relocations, periods of inactivity, and eventual consolidation in a permanent headquarters.

The museum's origins trace to the 1912 art exhibition held at Lleida City Hall, which showcased established Leridan artists living elsewhere alongside local artists seeking public exposure. This civic initiative culminated in agreements to establish the Museu d'Art de Lleida in 1914, with the explicit purpose of becoming what its founders termed "una institucio popular que influenciara notablement en la conducta del nostre poble" (a popular institution that would notably influence the conduct of our people). The museum opened in 1917 at the former Mercat de Sant Lluis, where it remained until 1934. The painter Jaume Morera i Galicia proved instrumental to its early development, donating his personal art collection and facilitating institutional and political negotiations; in recognition, the museum was renamed in his honor. Early directors included Joaquim Xaudaro (1917-1920), Miquel Fontanals (1920-1929), and Salvador Roca Lletjos (1930-1939). During the Spanish Civil War, it became "El Museu del Poble," concentrating Republican confiscations of artistic works as protective measures. In 1938, with Francoist troops approaching, collections were moved to the ermita de Butsenit and subsequently to Zaragoza, with gradual return beginning in 1940. The museum then entered nearly four decades of inactivity, with collections dispersed across city buildings. Brief reopening occurred 1959-1969 at the Antic Hospital de Santa Maria, then provisional relocation to the Convent del Roser from 1975. The 1980s brought institutional renewal, including the Premi Medalla Morera and the Cicles d'Art Contemporani (1984-1987), which received the Associacio Catalana de Critics d'Art prize in 1985. Following Catalonia's Museum Law, Diputacio ownership transferred to the municipality in 1990, with exclusively municipal status from 1993. Management passed to an autonomous body, then from 2004 to the Institut Municipal d'Accio Cultural. In 1995, the museum began managing the Sala Leandre Cristofol, later its temporary exhibitions space. Provisional relocation to the Casino Principal occurred in 2007, with collections stored at the bishopric's casa sacerdotal while awaiting permanent facilities. The definitive decision to locate permanently at the Antiga Audiencia de Lleida came in 2016, with construction from 2019 to early 2024.

The collection encompasses painting, sculpture, drawing, graphic design, and architecture. Its formation drew initially from the Diputacio's own holdings and deposits from Madrid's Museu d'Art Modern. Early growth was substantially shaped by Jaume Morera's donations and interventions, including his exceptional collection of works by Carlos de Haes in 1924. The museum systematically acquired collections from leading Leridan artists of the period: Ramon Mestre Vidal (1919), Javier Gose (1920), Baldomero Gili (1927), and Antoni Samarra (1929). The scope reflects a deliberate focus on modern and contemporary art with particular attention to regional Catalan artists, while also incorporating broader Spanish figures.

The collection includes works by Mariano Fortuny, Francisco Pradilla, Gonzalo Bilbao, and Cecilio Pla, alongside the significant holdings of Carlos de Haes acquired through Jaume Morera's donation. The early acquisitions from Ramon Mestre Vidal, Javier Gose, Baldomero Gili, and Antoni Samarra constitute core holdings representing the principal Leridan artists of the early twentieth century.

The museum has occupied numerous sites throughout its history. It opened in 1917 at the former Mercat de Sant Lluis, remaining there until 1934. From 1934, it moved to the Antic Hospital de Santa Maria, which also housed the Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs during its 1959-1969 reopening. The Convent del Roser served as provisional headquarters from 1975. The Sala Leandre Cristofol, added in 1995, functioned as temporary exhibition space. From 2007, provisional occupation of the Casino Principal on the main street provided public access while collections were stored at the bishopric's casa sacerdotal. The permanent resolution came with selection of the Antiga Audiencia de Lleida in 2016, with construction works spanning 2019 to early 2024.

The Museu d'Art Jaume Morera is located in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, with website at http://mmorera.paeria.es. It is municipally owned by the Lleida City Council and currently depends on the concejalia de Promocio Cultural, Museus, Festes i Cultura Popular. The museum charges an entrance fee, with free admission on the first Tuesday of each month. Its permanent headquarters at the Antiga Audiencia de Lleida, completed in early 2024, resolves decades of provisional accommodation and dispersed storage.