Going to a place in the middle of nowhere in search of something amazing can be a bit of a gamble. When it pays off though, it does so with spectacular results. The town of Olula del Rio, deep in the dry and dusty interior of Almería province, is one of our recent successes! Two incredible art museums are located just outside the town and leave you wondering why they are in such a remote location and why nobody has heard of them!
We parked up just behind the small sculpture garden. Walking through and admiring the works of art on the various plinths, we could almost have been in ancient Greece or Rome! Emerging into the open space where the museums are, an incredible large marble head dominates the view. The “Woman of Almanzora” is the largest marble sculpture in Spain. It was produced in 2019 by Antonio López, whose museum we were here to see. Alongside this giant head are some rather dark and disturbing enlargements of sketches from Los Capriches by Goya. Glasgow University Library produced an excellent guide to these works way back in 2006.
Museo Ibáñez
Casa Ibáñez Museum opened in 2004 and contains one of the largest collections of contemporary art in Andalusia. Andrés García Ibáñez (from Olula del Río, hence its remote location!) was a young painter with a valued career within contemporary realism. His vast collection now contains over 1200 works. Possibly the most recognised of the artists on display are Goya and Sorolla but he has also created a home for works by local artists. It’s free to enter with opening times being 11-2 and 5-8 but be aware the doors are closed on Mondays like so many places in Spain. You can expect to be thrilled and appalled in equal measures as you explore an odd collection providing social commentary and a distinct criticism of the Catholic church. It was certainly thought provoking at times!
Centro Pérez Siquier
The Centro Pérez Siquier stands next door and is essentially part of the same museum but the main focus is on photography. Carlos Pérez Siquier was from Almería and some of his most evocative work shows life inside the poor La Chancla district of the city. There are some great sets of photos from festivals around Spain and many photojournalism stories from Spain’s recent history. It’s all down to personal taste, but this section was by far the most interesting for us.
This may be quite a remote place to visit, but we really enjoyed our cultural morning there and highly recommend it. Have you been to these museums? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
