Investment platform Stoneweg plans to open a Thyssen Museum in Barcelona. It would be located in the old Cinemes Comèdia, on the only corner of Passeig de Gràcia and Gran Via that is not occupied by a large fashion brand. This investment fund was behind the proposed Hermitage Museum project, which was in the end unable to build on port land in the district of Barceloneta.
Stoneweg is negotiating a three-way agreement with Carmen Cervera, Baroness Thyssen, for the transfer of part of her private painting collection and with the owners of the Cinemes Comèdia, the Pla and Planàs families, to occupy this property. Although the figures being considered in the negotiation have not been disclosed, sources close to the project assert that the lease of the Comèdia building would be for at least 25 years and that Stoneweg would invest close to 30 million euros in the renovation and start-up of the museum.
Baroness Thyssen herself, Stoneweg's CEO Jaume Sabater and lawyer Antonio Delgado Planás have taken part in the negotiations, as a member and representative of the families that own the Cinemes Comèdia. Delgado is the director of legal services for ESADE business school and, until last September, presided over the Círculo Ecuestre.
Since the historic Cinemes Comèdia closed its doors to the public on January 14th, when the Yelmo group chose to leave the cinema multiplex, the owners of the property have received half a dozen proposals for the extremely desirable location. Sources close to the property indicate that they have not yet communicated their decision.
For their part, sources close to the investment fund limited themselves to pointing out this Thursday that its cultural division, Stoneweg Experience, “is in constant dialogue with representatives of all cultural sectors in the country, and is always willing to consider and explore new cultural initiatives both nationally and internationally."
The Stoneweg investment platform began its activity eight years ago in the real estate sector - residential, offices and logistics - although it has been diversifying into hotels and restaurants - with the Belbo restaurant brand, with five locations in Barcelona and one in Sant Cugat del Vallès, as well as leisure and culture.
In the cultural field, they are also promoting a new artistic space in the old Godó i Trias factory in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, where they will invest 60 million euros, and they have already launched an information centre for the America's Cup of yachting, in the old IMAX cinema in the port of Barcelona, and an exhibition hall in the Palau Martorell, in the Barri Gòtic. In addition, they promote urban wave parks for surfing in various countries, including one in Atlético de Madrid's Civitas Metropolitano stadium.
They failed with the Hermitage franchise they planned to bring to Barcelona, due to the frontal opposition of the city government under then-mayor Ada Colau, but now they are negotiating a Thyssen Museum in the city.