Home isn't where the art is: Carmen Thyssen shares the wealth

The new Carmen Thyssen Museum in Málaga is ready to open its doors inside the renovated Villalón Palace, next to the Plaza de la Constitución, which is a five-minute walk from the Picasso Museum. The 230 paintings that hang from its walls have been loaned free of charge for 15 years by the Baroness Carmen Thyssen, who also chairs the board of trustees and has spent the last two weeks personally overseeing every last detail of the project.

The Spanish baroness, née Carmen Cervera, is a major patron of the arts, best known for the wing that houses part of her collection at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. On the occasion of this new opening, she said the only profit she was getting out of it was the satisfaction of letting other people enjoy her artworks.

"It seems selfish to keep enjoying them at home by myself. There is no other 19th-century Spanish art collection that can compare with mine," she said.

The venue takes up two additional buildings besides the Villalón Palace, a 16th-century construction in the historic heart of Málaga. The renovation work included undoing some of the hair-raising additions put in during the 1960s. The palace's original columns and coffered ceilings have now been restored to their former splendor.

One of the last pieces to arrive at the museum was a spectacular wooden sculpture from the Romanesque period, depicting Christ being taken down from the cross. The paintings on display include work by Sorolla, Madrazo, Pla, Fortuny, Zuloaga and many more of Spain's best-known artists from the 1800s. The subject matter is predominantly landscapes, portraits and depictions of local customs.

Carmen Thyssen said it was the mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre (of the Popular Party), who convinced her to open a museum in the southern city. "He was so persistent that here we are, at last. Everything went smoothly," she said.

Carmen Thyssen, who married the late Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza in 1985, also keeps major works of art at her homes in La Moraleja (Madrid), San Feliú (Catalonia) and Marbella (Málaga). Asked whether she was afraid of seeing her own walls bare of paintings, she said that she was not worried as her private collection encompasses more than 1,200 pieces. "I have many more. I can replace some with others."