Gallerist, curator and collector Helga de Alvear has been Spain's largest contemporary art figure for decades. Her gallery is located in Madrid, but she donated her own collection of modern art to the Extremadura region on the border with Portugal: with funds from the Alvear Foundation and local authorities, a museum and cultural center was created in the city of Cáceres.
It was located in Casa Grande, literally - a large house in the forms of historicism (1910), the interior of which
the new function was adapted in the mid-2000s by the architects Mansilla + Tuñón. Since then, the office fell apart, so the construction of the new building and the expansion of the Casa Grande was entrusted to Emilio Tunion alone.
The second part of the project was made possible by the purchase of a plot overlooking Via Pizarro parallel to the Casa Grande, Camino Llano Passage. That is, the fund-museum now owns a strip across the block in an important place - along the line of the disappeared city walls, on the border of the old city and at the same time - a natural valley. The significance of this site was expressed in the urban dimension of the project.
The new buildings - a separate building and an extension to the Casa Grande - were stretched along the border of the site from street to street in a narrow ribbon to ensure its permeability: pedestrians can now also walk through them. Also, their path runs along the stairs through the impressive retaining wall (it has been restored), through the terrace of the new building and the old gardens. According to Tugnon and his colleagues, this is how a "snag" arises: the complex seems impregnable, but upon closer examination, this part of the city has become more convenient and open.
The building itself is interesting in that it is entered on the top floor, from the aforementioned terrace, and gradually descends through concrete halls with wooden accents to the level of Camino Llano street. All spaces, despite the elaborate details, delicate handling of materials, verified proportions, are also very functional and are designed for a variety of exhibitions, both very large works and in unusual genres and formats.
From the outside, the building is immediately noticeable among the red stone walls of Caceres with its "colonnades" of thin white concrete supports, which create a shade so important in hot and dry climates.
