In an effort to turn Malaga into a world-class culture tourism destination, city authorities invested nearly 10 million Euros in new museums last year. The two latest arrivals, the prestigious Centre Pompidou Malaga and the Art Collection of the Russian Museum St. Petersburg-Malaga, are both part of long-term plans to transform Malaga into a global centre for the arts that attracts not just tourists but also contemporary international artists.
But it doesn't stop with these two museums: Mayor Francisco de la Torre has promised there are even more exciting things to come: “We have big plans for the city and there’s more coming to the work we’ve already done,” he confirmed in a recent press statement.
The first of its kind outside of Paris, the renown Pompidou art collection now shown in Malaga contains works by Frida Kahlo, Marc Chagall and Francis Bacon. Although it cost around 7 million Euros to build the modernist “Cube” in Malaga harbour and bring these masterpieces to Spain, the exhibition is proving very popular with visitors, attracting ca. 220,000 visitors in the first year.
The Russian art collection from the treasure trove of St. Petersburg will remain on show in Malaga for the next ten years, and there's an option to extend this. At a cost of 2 million Euros it was a calculated risk that's already paying off. Exhibiting art works from the 18th century onwards to contemporary art produced by prolific and well-known artists, who have either worked in Russia or are Russian by birth, the collection includes works by 19th century painter Ivan Shishkin and 20th-century painter Vladimir Gavrilov.
Housed in the same converted tobacco factory complex where the city's wonderful Automobile Museum is now housed, the Russian art collection is displayed in an exhibition spanning 43,000 square feet arranged over two floors.
Brand-new Start for Malaga Tourism
Already people working in the tourism sector have seen a marked difference in the type of visitor now coming to Malaga. It's no longer merely the bucket-and-spade brigade arriving with package holiday buses, looking for cheap booze, beaches and sunshine. Foodies and art lovers are increasingly choosing Malaga as their city break destination, for Malaga has also gained an international reputation for its excellent food festivals and restaurants. And it's not just overseas visitors who are falling for the city's updated charms:
Virginia Irurita, founder of travel company “Made for Spain and Portugal” is just one of many travel experts who have remarked on the significant change: “Malaga is where you went for a cheap beach holiday. People couldn’t care less about the city itself, but it’s become the place now where all the Spanish want to come and stay to see the museums.”
Artists who previously were only looking to buy homes and open workshops or galleries in glitzy Marbella at the Costa del Sol are now flocking to Malaga's historic districts to live and work. It will be exciting to see what the city council comes up with next. The first ten million Euros have been spent exceedingly well!