Coming from the Prehistory Museum just a few minutes ago, you will see a modern building across the street to your right made of pale stone blocks, featuring a large flat overhanging roof and a recessed glass entrance flanked by towering exhibition banners. Welcome to the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, or IVAM for short. Opened in 1989, this was actually Spain's very first center dedicated to modern art. They were so eager to get started that the government began acquiring the core collection, featuring works by the pioneering sculptor Julio González, before the building even existed. Talk about putting the cart before the horse.
Today, the museum holds over ten thousand pieces of twentieth-century art, but its foundations go back much further. If you head down to the basement gallery, known as the Hall of the Wall, you will find temporary exhibitions housed right alongside the remains of Valencia's medieval fortifications. It is quite the contrast between centuries-old defense walls and cutting-edge contemporary photography.
Of course, modern art is not without its modern drama. For a while, the behind-the-scenes politics here were as colorful as the paintings. A former director named Consuelo Císcar was ousted after a decade when artists and critics loudly complained about a glaring lack of professionalism and low-quality programming. More recently, Nuria Enguita took the helm to rebuild the museum's international reputation, though she resigned in early 2024, citing a lack of government support. A new director, Blanca de la Torre, steps in to guide the institution starting in April 2025. If you want to view the art inside, the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from ten to seven, and closed on Mondays.
