The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya is launching the public programme MNAC in Transformation to share information and provide greater transparency regarding the Museum’s expansion process, which will not only enable the museum to expand its spaces, but also strengthen the MNAC’s public role and redefine its relationship with the public.

The programme features industry professionals, artists and creators, the educational community and a diverse audience, with the aim of actively engaging society as a whole. It will be rolled out across Catalonia in a range of face-to-face and digital formats, in collaboration with community organisations and networks, as well as through trade publications.

MNAC in Transformation kicks off with the series of talks entitled Thinking about the museum, imagining futures. In autumn 2026 and throughout 2027, we will be rethinking the role of museums in the face of the social, cultural, technological, economic and environmental changes that define our century.

Building on its firm commitment to public service, this series will take a critical look at new museum models, the role of national museums in a globalised world, architecture as a driver of institutional transformation, governance and accountability, innovation in cultural management, new technologies, emerging audiences, sustainability and the contribution of culture to contemporary urban and social challenges.

The programme combines domestic and international perspectives with a clear commitment to the public good and community engagement. It aims to help people understand why the MNAC is undergoing a transformation, what impact this process will have, and what opportunities it opens up. It also aims to foster understanding, trust and engagement concerning a strategic project for Barcelona and also for Catalonia.

Thinking about the museum, imagining futures invites us to reflect collectively on what the museums of the future should look like as the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya moves forward with its expansion and transformation.

On Saturday 24 October and Thursday 19 November, the MNAC will feature some of the most influential museum directors and architects on the contemporary cultural scene who are engaged in major cultural and architectural projects and have direct experience with transformation processes comparable to the one currently facing the MNAC.

24 October 2026

Conversations with Directors and Curators of International Museums

• 10.30 am Introduction and welcome by Pepe Serra, Director of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
• Starting at 11.00 am, with presentations by::
  • Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo.
  • Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland.
  • Marc-Olivier Wahler, Director of the Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève.
  • Francesca Cappelletti, Director of the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
• 1.30 pm Q&A session with all speakers, moderated by Pepe Serra.

2.00 pm – 3.30 pm Lunch break

Conversations with Internationally Renowned Architects

• 4.00 pm Introduction by András Szántó, cultural strategy adviser.
• 4.15 pm In conversation: Elizabeth Diller, architect and co-founder of the practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Stephan Schütz, architect and executive partner at gmp Architekten.
• 5.30 pm In conversation: Shohei Shigematsu, architect and partner at OMA, and Kulapat Yantrasast, architect, founder and Creative Director of WHY architecture.
• 6.45 pm Q&A session with all speakers, moderated by András Szántó.

19 November 2026

Conversation with Sir Tristram Hunt

• 11.00 “Civic and Global: The V&A as a Cosmopolitan Museum”, a lecture by Sir Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Followed by a conversation with Pepe Serra, Director of the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

→ Thinking about the museum, imagining futures will continue throughout 2027 with new voices and perspectives from the worlds of museums, architecture, artistic creation, education, technology, and wellbeing, as well as the local community and thought leaders.

With the collaboration of: