Not far from the tourist hotspot of Alcudia, on the island of Mallorca, is an incredible set of sculptures set in beautiful gardens. Getting there isn’t easy without transport, but it’s definitely worth the effort. The Museo Sa Bassa Blanca should definitely be part of your itinerary if you want to escape the masses! The Foundation was established in 1993 by the artists and collectors, Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu.
The sculptures really are wonderful. Their main logo features an enormous stone dog. Many of the others are animals that you may well see on a safari. There’s even a special homage to Save the Rhino. There are also cars, the mythical Kraken (not a giant octopus!), a few tombstones with strange inscriptions, and a giant golden Barbie and Ken. Prepare to be amazed!
The rose garden is beautiful, but probably best viewed in late spring when a better variety of flowers are in full bloom. The colourful jars are intriguing too. We’re not too sure about the conical towers lined with recycled rubbish though!
There are two galleries to visit and you’ll get a timed ticket to each of them. First up was the Galeria NINS set in the old water cistern, the Aljibe. It wasn’t really to our taste. The paintings of children from the 16th to the 19th Century were, to be honest, a little bit creepy! Much better was the Sokrates Gallery where an eclectic collection of modern art awaits, including the skeleton of a Siberian woolly rhinoceros underneath a Swarovski crystal curtain (made from 10,000 individual crystals). The blue room was a bit weird and very blue. The African masks were certainly intriguing.
As you would expect, there is a gift shop and a cafe. Due to Covid restrictions we were unable to grab a coffee on our visit but the setting is nice and artistic, and it is definitely open now. The gift shop was worth a browse but the price of any souvenirs was prohibitive for us. The golden aeroplane with snails as engines was especially neat, but at €1500, a bit beyond our means!
The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so don’t go to all that effort only to find they are not open. You have several options for your ticket. To simply see the sculptures and gardens it costs €5 but if you want to see the two art galleries too then it will be €10. There’s a tour of the house for €25 by prior arrangement but we didn’t do that! There’s also a reported 15 minute walk to the top of the hill to view the observatory with its camera obscura and more interesting works of art. Unfortunately, we only became aware of this after our visit, so don’t make the same mistake!!
As I said at the beginning, it’s not exactly easy to get to. With no public transport available, you could walk or cycle but it’s going to take a while and there are some pretty steep hills and rough roads along the way. It’s a shame there’s no way to cut through the golf course which blocks the possibility of a nice coastal walk. We got a lift there from a friend which was lucky. The museum then called a taxi to take us back to Alcudia Port which cost €15. You may be able to negotiate a cheaper round trip with the driver waiting for you. Can’t promise that you will though, but it’s always worth a try!!
