Dona(n). El papel de las mujeres en las colecciones del museo

Exposiciones temporales

DONA(N). The role of women in the museum´s collections

On the occasion of International Women's Day, the exhibition “DONA(N): The Role of Women in the Museum's Collections” presents sixteen donors who have enriched the institution's collection thanks to their generosity and passion for collecting.

Donations are one of the mains ways in which museums acquire new pieces, reflecting the altruism and collaboration of society in preserving and transmitting cultural heritage. At the National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts, donations serve as a fundamental source for the acquisition of new collections. Of the 1,099 documented donors, more than 400 are women. In some cases, donations were made by a couple—a woman and a man—who shared a passion for collecting and the desire to make their collection public. Additionally, numerous anonymous women appear in historical records only as “wife of” or “widow of,” making it challenging to establish an exact number of donations made by women since the foundation of the museum.

With this exhibition, the museum seeks to highlight these donors while emphasizing the role of women in cultural heritage as artists, creators of culture, transmitters and preservers of heritage, patrons and benefactors. The exhibition also underscores the importance of donations in shaping the museum's collections and the special bond between the museum and Valencian society.

The exhibition is organized in nine sections, spanning from the museum's founding in 1947 with the donation of Amelia Cuñat Monleón and Manuel González Martí to the present day. It features 16 women—artists donating their own works, donors of personal objects, women safeguarding family legacies and collectors—whose contributions reflect the wealth, diversity and range of the museum's collections.

The institution wishes to express its gratitude to these selfless donors and also to all those who are not represented here with exhibits, whose names are recalled in the exhibition.

Amelia Cuñat Monleón