Museum of Arts and Popular Customs of Seville facts for kids
The Museum of Arts and Popular Customs of Seville (which is Spanish: Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares in Spanish) is a special museum in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It's located inside the lovely María Luisa Park. You'll find it right across from the Provincial Archeological Museum. This museum helps visitors learn about the history and traditions of the people of Seville. In 2007, more than 84,000 people came to explore its collections.
Contents
A Look Back: The Museum's Story
Building the Mudéjar Pavilion
The museum is housed in a beautiful building called the Mudéjar Pavilion. A famous architect named Aníbal González designed it. It was built in 1914. This building was first used as an art pavilion. It was part of the big Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. For this event, Aníbal González also designed other buildings in the plaza. The outside of the pavilion is made of ceramic tiles over brick. It has three doors decorated with colorful glazed tiles called azulejos.
Changes to the Building
The building originally had two main floors. There was also a special chamber underneath to help with humidity. In the 1960s, the very tall main floor was split into two. An architect named Delgado Roig added an extra level. Then, in 1972, a grand spiral staircase was added. This staircase connects all the different levels of the building. José Galnares Sagastizábal designed it.
Opening and Challenges
The museum officially started on March 23, 1972. It was first a part of the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville. The museum opened its doors to visitors on March 4, 1973. For the next seven years, the Ministry of Education and Science was in charge. However, the city government used more than half of the building. This caused problems, and the museum had to close temporarily sometimes. For example, in 1976, it closed because the electricity bill couldn't be paid. In 1979, heavy rains damaged the inside.
Restoration and New Management
On March 26, 1980, the City Council agreed to let the Ministry of Education use the whole building. This was only if the Ministry would fix it up properly. So, the Ministry hired architect Fernando Villanueva Sandino. He turned the old humidity chamber into a new lower-ground floor. The museum reopened on October 18, 1984. At the same time, the new Andalusian Autonomous Government took over the museum. They also took over other museums in Andalusia.
In 1990, the main floor was set up for temporary art shows. In 1994, the Díaz Velázquez Collection found a permanent home there. About one-third of the building is still used for temporary exhibitions.
What You Can See: Museum Layout
Public Areas and Spaces
Visitors can explore the lower-ground floor, the main floor, and the first floor. The permanent exhibits cover a large area of about 5,496 square meters. The top floor has the museum library. This library specializes in ethnography (the study of cultures) and museology (the study of museums). There is also a photo archive and rooms for videos and meetings. Plus, there's a studio for restoring old items and a photography lab. You can visit the temporary exhibitions separately from the rest of the museum.
Exhibition Themes
As of 2010, the museum's exhibits are arranged like this:
- Main Floor
- Halls I–II: These halls display the amazing Díaz Velázquez collections. They feature beautiful embroidery and lace.
- Halls III–V: These are used for special temporary exhibitions.
- Halls VI–VII: Here, you can see a recreated home of the Díaz Velázquez family.
- First Floor
- Halls I–II: This area shows clothing, personal decorations, and religious items.
- Hall III: You'll find musical instruments and popular books here.
- Hall IV: This hall teaches about how wheat was grown.
- Halls V–VI: These halls focus on goldsmithing and more embroidery.
- Hall VII: This area displays different types of furniture.
- Lower-Ground Floor
- Hall I: Learn about the uses of household furniture (mobilario).
- Hall II: Discover the functions of household items (ajuar).
- Hall III: See different kinds of traditional containers.
- Hall IV: Explore traditional jobs and workshops.
- Hall V: This hall is all about ceramics and tile-making.
- Hall VI: See how ceramics workshops worked and how ceramics were used.
- Hall VII: Learn about winemaking.
- Hall VIII: This hall features La Cartuja and Japanese ceramics.
- Hall IX: You can see knives and old firearms here.
- Hall X: This area displays metalwork.
- Halls XI–XII: These halls show various crafting techniques.
This floor also has storage areas, archives, and the restoration studio.
Treasures: The Museum's Collections
Original and Donated Items
Most of the items in the museum come from its first collection. When the museum started, it was part of the Museum of Fine Arts. So, many important pieces came from there. Some notable collections include the Aguiar collection of costumbrista paintings (showing everyday life). There's also the Soria collection of Oriental porcelain and ivory. Some pieces even came from the Orleans and Gestoso collections.
Other museums have also donated items. For example, the Archeological Museum of Seville gave a collection of Sevillian azulejos (glazed tiles). Donations also came from the Museo del Pueblo Español in Madrid and the Museum of Fine Arts Valencia. Many people in Seville have also given important items. These donations have filled gaps in the collections. They include textiles, farm tools, household items, and musical instruments. The museum also bought some pieces in the 1970s.
Special Collections
The biggest donation after the museum opened was the Díaz Velázquez legacy in 1979. This is one of Europe's best collections of embroidery and lace. It has nearly 6,000 pieces! Since 2000, the museum has also acquired the Loty collection. This collection has over 2,000 glass panels. They show details of Andalusian cities and life from around 1900 to 1936. The Allepuz ethnographic collection, with 168 pieces, was also added.
The museum has a fantastic collection of Andalusian popular ceramics. Only the collection at the Museum of Ethnology, Hamburg is similar. The city of Seville donated the original posters for the annual Seville Fair (Feria de Abril). The Department of Culture added the Mencos collection. This is the most complete collection of lithographs and color photos of Feria and Semana Santa (Holy Week in Seville) posters.
Workshops and Crafts
Some collections grew from special research projects. For example, Carmen Ortiz's work led to the donation of Claudio Bernal's cooperage workshop. He was the last cooper (barrel maker) in the city. Andrés Carretero's work led to the donation of guitarmaker Francisco Barba's workshop. Esther Fernández's work added a gilding workshop. Other workshops donated include those of Filigrana, a master maker of castanets, and goldsmith Fernando Marmolejo. Marmolejo was the last in his family to practice this craft for four centuries. Some of his tools were hundreds of years old! The museum now has eight workshops on display.
On the Big Screen: Film Set
The museum building has been used as a set for movies and TV shows several times. This includes the 1974 American film The Wind and the Lion. It was also used in the 1985 French film Harem, where it pretended to be the British Embassy.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares (Sevilla) para niños
