ABC Museum

The ABC Museum opened its doors in 2010 in this building in the Conde Duque neighborhood, designed by José López Salaberry, which housed the first Mahou Brewery. The museum houses the ABC Collection, one of the world's largest collections of illustration, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. Since 2023, the Clara del Rey Municipal Cultural Center has shared the building with the museum, with both institutions collaborating on joint projects that promote art and illustration, although they are independent, each with its own programming. The museum temporarily closed on March 12, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its management was reassessed and the future of the center was rethought, under the premise of ensuring the preservation of the ABC Collection. For its part, the Centro Municipal Board took charge of the building, to which it moved the Clara del Rey Cultural Center in 2023, which, until then, had been located on Palma Street. Throughout 2022, various adaptation works were carried out on the building to meet the needs of the cultural center. Finally, on March 13, 2024, the museum reopened its doors to once again showcase the richness of its collection, comprised of 150,000 works by 500 artists, and its program of temporary exhibitions. The 3,700 m² of the building, currently known as the Clara del Rey Cultural Center - ABC Museum, are divided into five floors: two below ground, which house the ABC Museum's exhibition hall, and three upper floors belonging to the Clara del Rey Cultural Center, which include various spaces for classrooms and workshops, a gymnasium, a multipurpose room, a large auditorium, and a conference area. It retains part of the original configuration of the exposed brick building constructed in 1891, which was subsequently remodeled by the studio of Architects Aranguren and Gallegos designed the project, which included the addition of a modern façade in the courtyard shared with the entrance of the adjacent building. This configuration not only renovates the space for its intended use but also integrates it into a setting of historic buildings.