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Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary

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Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary
Established2002; 23 years ago (2002)
LocationMadrid, Spain
TypeContemporary art foundation
FounderFrancesca Thyssen-Bornemisza
DirectorMarkus Reymann (TBA21–Academy)[1]
Websitewww.tba21.org

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, also known as TBA21, is a contemporary art and advocacy foundation established in 2002 by philanthropist Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza.[2] The foundation, headquartered in Madrid, Spain is known for managing the TBA21 Collection and overseeing exhibitions, commissions, residencies, public programs, and art projects focused on social, environmental, and political issues.

TBA21 collaborates with the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum through a long-term agreement focused on joint exhibition production and public programming.[3] In 2023, the partnership launched Organismo, an independent study program addressing the intersection of the arts and ecological transformation.[4]

TBA21 also operates Ocean Space, in Venice, Italy, and works in collaboration with the Alligator Head Foundation in Portland, Jamaica.[5][6]

TBA21 Collection

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The TBA21 Collection comprises more than 1000 works of contemporary art[7] by artists such as John Akomfrah[8], Marina Abramović, Monica Bonvicini, Kutluğ Ataman, Candice Breitz, Olafur Eliasson, Joan Jonas, Pipilotti Rist, Simon Starling, Sanja Iveković, Wu Tsang, Ai Weiwei[7], and others.

The foundation began commissioning new work in 2005, with early commissions by Christoph Schlingensief, Candice Breitz and others.

One notable work, Küba (2004) by Kutluğ Ataman, was exhibited aboard the converted barge Negrelli for a tour on the Danube river in 2006[9]. In 2020, the work was donated to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

TBA21–Academy

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Founded in 2011, TBA21–Academy serves as the foundation’s research arm, emphasizing oceanic and ecological themes through transdisciplinary collaboration[10]. The Academy integrates artistic practices with scientific and policy-oriented research.

In 2015, its research expedition to the Solomon Islands[11] led to the first recorded observation of bioluminescence in Hawksbill sea turtles[12][13], in collaboration with marine biologist David Gruber, an event recognized by National Geographic[14].

The Academy’s The Current fellowship program invites artists, curators, and researchers to participate in long-term collaborative knowledge production.

In 2019, Ocean Space opened in the Church of San Lorenzo, Venice, as a center for oceanic advocacy through the arts[15]. The space launched with Moving Off the Land II by Joan Jonas[16], based on the artist's extended research into marine life and aquatic environments.[17]

Also in 2019, the Academy launched Ocean-Archive.org, a digital platform for ocean-focused artistic and research projects.[18]

Advocacy and initiatives

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TBA21 leverages its Observer status at the International Seabed Authority—a designation received in 2017—as a platform to advocate against deep-sea mining and to promote the inclusion of Indigenous and interdisciplinary knowledge in ocean governance discussions.

In partnership with the Alligator Head Foundation, TBA21 supports an artist residency focused on artistic inquiry of ecological challenges. One outcome is an underwater sculpture park by Swiss artist Claudia Comte in the East Portland Fish Sanctuary.[19]

Other artists who have participated in the TBA21–Academy residency at Alligator Head Foundation include Joan Jonas[20], Susanne Winterling, Dark Morph (Carl Michael von Hausswolff and Jónsi), and Dineo Seshee Bopape[21].

From 2002 to 2012, TBA21 operated its first exhibition space at the Erdődy-Fürstenberg Palace in Vienna[22]. It later moved to Vienna's Augarten park (2012–2017)[23], where it organized biannual thematic exhibitions. In 2021, the collective Superflex presented Vertical Migration, a work co-commissioned by TBA21, on the facade of the United Nations Headquarters during the 76th UN General Assembly, highlighting issues related to climate change and ocean life.[24]

Between 2021 and 2024, TBA21 partnered with the Regional Government of Andalusia to exhibit works at the Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía (C3A) in Córdoba[25]. TBA21 also contributed to the High-Level Event on Ocean Action in Costa Rica in June 2024, leading up to the UN Ocean Conference in 2025, with a curated artist film program.

Awards and recognitions

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  • FlashArt Italia Award (2025)[26]
  • InspirAction WAS Award (2023)[28]
  • La Vanguardia – Best Spanish contemporary art foundation (2023)[29]
  • Apollo Awards 2023 Exhibition of the Year – for In the Eye of the Storm: Modernism in Ukraine, 1900–1930s, November 29, 2022–May 2, 2023.[30]
  • Laureate for the Environmental category of the UN SIDS Partnerships Awards 2023 – the collaborative initiative “Alliances for a Bluer, Greener Caribbean (Ridge to Reef)” involving the Alligator Head Foundation (AHF), Coconut Industry Board (CIB), and the International Trade Centre (ITC), aimed at promoting a sustainable coconut sector in the Caribbean, was recognized by the UN SIDS Partnership Awards 2023.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Markus Reymann". Ocean Space. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  2. ^ Adam, Georgina (2019-11-01). "Collector Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza on artists being advocates for change". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  3. ^ "Collector Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza invests in Madrid after leaving Vienna". www.theartnewspaper.com. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  4. ^ Hernandez, Julián (2023-11-28). "Nace 'Organismo' de la mano de TBA21 y el Museo Thyssen". ARS Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  5. ^ Article, Sarah Cascone ShareShare This (2019-08-19). "Artist Claudia Comte on Why She Installed Permanent Underwater Sculptures Off Jamaica's Coast". Artnet News. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  6. ^ Features, Will Jennings published in (2024-04-29). "Indigenous voices hit a powerful note in awe-inspiring Venice space". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  7. ^ a b "Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection". TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  8. ^ Villa, Angelica (2021-12-10). "Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Teams Up with Córdoba to Revitalize Spanish City". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  9. ^ "Vault · Issue 35 · Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza". vaultmagazine.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  10. ^ Battaglia, Andy (2019-03-12). "Current Affairs: To Save the Ailing Oceans, TBA21-Academy Turns to Art and Science". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  11. ^ Chung, Emily (September 15, 2015). "Glowing sea turtle is 1st biofluorescent reptile ever discovered".
  12. ^ Wrathall, Claire (2020-09-06). "'Let's understand the ocean through art'". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  13. ^ Article, Hili Perlson ShareShare This (2015-09-29). "Glowing Sea Turtle Accidentally Found". Artnet News. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  14. ^ "These are the top 20 scientific discoveries of the decade". Science. 2025-06-20. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  15. ^ Waga, Nel-Olivia. "The Soul Expanding Ocean At Venice Biennale 2022". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  16. ^ Donoghue, Katy (2019-08-02). "Joan Jonas Inaugurates Ocean Space with "Moving Off the Land II"". Whitewall. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  17. ^ Article, Lee Carter ShareShare This (2024-05-09). "Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza Merges Art and Activism in Venice". Artnet News. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  18. ^ Hernandez, Julián (2023-11-28). "Nace 'Organismo' de la mano de TBA21 y el Museo Thyssen". ARS Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  19. ^ "Port Antonio gets underwater sculpture park". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  20. ^ "JOAN JONAS: THE ROLE OF THE OCEAN - Art Super magazine" (in Italian). 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  21. ^ Durón, Maximilíano (2022-04-22). "In Venice, Artist Dineo Seshee Bopape Asks Us to Consider Our Relation to the World's Waterways". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  22. ^ Spiegler, 15 04 2010 um 20:19 von Almuth (2010-04-15). "Habsburgs Kunstraum "TBA21": Türkisch, ehrlich, fleißig". Die Presse (in German). Retrieved 2025-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ "Blackout in Bukolien: der neue Augarten". FALTER (in Austrian German). 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  24. ^ world, STIR. "Superflex calls for interspecies dialogue through their new public installations". www.stirworld.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  25. ^ "Three years of alliance between C3A and TBA21: reflections on contemporary art in Córdoba - Bonart". bonart.cat. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  26. ^ "Il primo premio per il sistema dell'arte contemporanea in Italia |". Flash Art (in Italian). 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  27. ^ "Elle Women Awards 2024". 8 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Los Premios InspirACCIÓN de Women Action Sustainability galardonan a las mujeres iraníes". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  29. ^ "Los Premios Magazine rinden tributo a los artistas del momento". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  30. ^ "Exhibition of the Year – Apollo Awards 2023 – 'Modernism in Ukraine'". Apollo Magazine. 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
  31. ^ "UN SIDS Partnerships Awards | Department of Economic and Social Affairs". sdgs.un.org. Retrieved 2025-04-24.
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