The Museu de la Ciutat de València Acquires a Sculpture by Equipo Crónica

The work 'Espectador de espectadores' joins the municipal collection, enriching the museum's contemporary art holdings.

Contemporary papier-mâché sculpture, 'Espectador de espectadores', in a modern art museum.
IA

Contemporary papier-mâché sculpture, 'Espectador de espectadores', in a modern art museum.

The Museu de la Ciutat de València has acquired the sculpture 'Espectador de espectadores' by Equipo Crónica for 22,000 euros, a papier-mâché piece that will be integrated into its contemporary art collection.

This acquisition, made by the València City Council from the ADN Art Space gallery, represents a 'rarity' for the museum, as it has few contemporary sculptures and none by Equipo Crónica. The piece will join the existing pictorial works and, once the new museological plan is implemented, could become part of the 'Crónica de la Realidad' section, which will cover the most current part of the municipal collection.
The Museu de la Ciutat, which currently hosts an exhibition on José Vergara and awaits works from the Hispanic Society, is focused on a total reconfiguration of the municipal hall. In the summer of 2025, the new museological plan was unveiled, including a possible name change and a redesign of the collection's tour, from Sorolla to the Valencian avant-garde.
Equipo Crónica, formed by Rafael Solbes, Juan Antonio Toledo, and Manolo Valdés, played a crucial role in Spanish art of the second half of the 20th century. Their production was characterized by pop art with a greater political charge, differentiating it from American pop. The sculpture 'Espectador de espectadores' belongs to a set of one hundred figures that were placed among the audience of the Frontón Labrit during the Encuentros de Pamplona, representing members of the Francoist secret police.