Art historian Albert Velasco slams Ministry of Culture over Sijena murals

A new book accuses the Spanish government of blocking technical reports to avoid political friction.

Generic image of medieval mural paintings in a museum.
IA

Generic image of medieval mural paintings in a museum.

Art historian Albert Velasco has released his latest book in Lleida, titled Les pintures de Sixena. Un foc que encara crema, addressing the long-standing conflict over medieval murals.

Velasco is highly critical of Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun and State Secretary Jordi Martí. He claims the Ministry of Culture is preventing the Cultural Heritage Institute (IPCE) from issuing a report that would likely oppose moving the fragile artworks from the MNAC museum.

"If the IPCE speaks, they will say the murals should not be touched, but the Ministry does not want to put the institution in a position of speaking against the interests of an autonomous community."

Albert Velasco · Art historian
The book also challenges the historical narrative regarding the fire at the Sijena Monastery during the Spanish Civil War, providing evidence that local residents, rather than outsiders, were responsible for the damage. Velasco emphasizes the international importance of these 12th-century paintings, created by master artists from England.