Palau March

Former family residence

The Bartolomé March Servera Foundation

Project by Architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto

Without a doubt, the developer, the financier Juan March Ordinas (1880-1962), acquired the site because it was in a prime location in the city’s historic quarter, and surrounded by iconic monuments such as the Cathedral, the Palace of the Almudaina and emblematic buildings including the former casino (which is now the seat of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands).
The project was led by the Madrid architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto (1900- 1977), a professional of great repute for whom the March residence was one of his most important undertakings, not only because of the status of his client but also because of the complexity and scale of the work.

A historicist style dominates, and the building was strongly influenced by Mallorcan and Italian Baroque palaces. The quality of the material used was outstanding, along with the richness and variety of the décor, and a leading role in the construction was played by the architect Gabriel Alomar Esteve, the project manager.
The whole complex, inside and out, is magnificent, and the courtyard is particularly impressive. This remarkable reception area, with its pronounced Mediterranean character, is overlooked by the palace’s most beautiful elements: the main façade, with its highly refined ornamentation and elegant open gallery, and the terrace-garden, a splendid viewing point over the heart of the city.

We are waiting for you!

Hide

The areas

0 0

The Sculpture Collection

Modern and Contemporary

The March Palace houses part of the Foundation's excellent collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. The collection reflects on the one hand the defined personal taste of the collector and on the other hand, most of the trends that have marked the history of 20th century sculpture. Works by established artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Max Bill, Pietro Consagra and Agustín Cárdenas are complemented by works by internationally renowned Spaniards: Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Francisco Otero Besteiro, Eduardo Chillida, among others. The variety of materials: granite, marble, bronze, iron, steel, etc.; textures, colours and shapes, transform the space chosen for the exhibition into a powerful and suggestive garden of art. The bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, Torse d'Homme qui tombe (1882), stands out.

Nativity scene

Neapolitan

Catalogued as one of the collection’s treasures, this magnificent work began with the quest to collect eighteenth-century Neapolitan figures.

Since the 1970s, and with the encouragement of Leonor Servera, his mother and a woman of great character and sophisticated tastes, Bartolomé March had collected almost 2,000 pieces, some signed by renowned nativity scene artists. The present installation has been determined by a rationale that encourages visitors to appreciate the full splendour of the scenes and the wealth of detail lavished on the figures. On an invitation by Patrimonio Nacional, this nativity scene was exhibited at Madrid’s Royal Palace to great public and critical acclaim, attracting over 70,000 visits during the 2008 Christmas period.

Works by Sert

At Palau March

Josep M. Sert (1874-1945) was one of the most prestigious mural artists of the twentieth century, and a good deal of his work was nurtured by the financial elites of Europe and America. One of his last works was for Juan March’s palace in Palma. It was the execution of two spectacular designs — one for the cupola of the main staircase and the other for the music room. For the first of these, he created a complex, academic work, enclosing within an architectural space a sombre fresco of allegories obliquely praising the virtues of the property developer. In the music room, he changed register, and composed a work to which he gave the title ‘El Diván Oriental’, and which is in keeping with his characteristic style: brilliant, dramatic, elegant and lighthearted.

Cartography

Fourteenth and fifteenth centuries

Another of Bartolomé March’s collections consisted of Mallorcan cartography. In Mallorca between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, there was significant production of navigation maps, signed by local cartographers. The great majority of these maps left the island, and the most famous of them ended up in public libraries or in private hands. Assembling this collection, regarded as one of the finest in the world, was no easy task. The well-documented collection on display here attracts great interest, thanks to both its technical perfection and to its aesthetic value.

Library

A library specialising in Balearic themes. Open to the public since 1970. The library’s bibliographic and document holdings span the period from the fourteenth century up to the present, and include over two thousand manuscripts (codices and series of autographed documents) and sixty thousand volumes of books, periodicals, pamphlets and other printed items.

Music room

Conceived to host the private, and many of them improvised, concerts for the family and their
acquaintances, the Music Hall stands as one the most magical rooms in the March Palace. The
artist commissioned to decorate it was Josep Maria Sert, who with his own personal style
painted the spectacular murals covering walls and ceiling. The artwork has a strong, dynamic
staging and represents a circus. Gold was a fundamental color on the artist’s palette, and we
can marvel at the sight of the long and golden curtains made of wood that cover the place and
be astounded by their majesty and realism. The precious black marble floor, the special light,
furniture and mirrors on the doors complete and set a unique ambiance one can not miss.

Timetable

From Monday to Friday: from 10:00 h to 17:00 h

Tuesday to Thursday: from 15:00 h to 17:00 h

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sunday and public holidays: Closed

Library opening hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 h to 14:30 h.

Prize

0 0

Prize

The Juan March Cencillo Short Novel Prize

This competition for a literary prize is one of the Foundation’s most cherished initiatives.

From a very young age, Bartolomé March’s life revolved around books. He was an inveterate reader and bibliophile, and as a patron, supported writers and editors of artistic, specialist publications. One example was his backing for the legendary literary magazine Papeles de Son Armadams, through his friendship with Camilo José Cela. His elder son (Juan March Cencillo, a writer and researcher who died in 1992) had inherited Bartolomé’s love for the Fine Arts, and as a tribute to him, Bartolomé March founded the Juan March Cencillo Short Novel prize in 1993. The prize, judged by a specialist panel, is worth 12,000 euros, the winning work being published by the Editorial Pretextos and the Bartolomé March Foundation.

Terms, conditions and prize winners

Procession of the Virgin

0 0

Procession of the Virgen de la Esperanza

Around 1953, the Brotherhood of of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza was restructured thanks to the patronage of the March Servera family. The most spectacular part is undoubtedly the float and the image of the titular Virgin, accompanied by four angels, works of the great sculptor Josep Viladomat i Massanas (1899- 1989), a specialist in religious imagery.
Other artists and artisans participated in the float, including sculptor Francesc Sacanell, the "Bronzes de Arte P. Corberó" workshop in Barcelona, and the most prestigious jewelry workshop in the city, that of Luís Coda Pons. The artistic direction was entrusted to Antoni Jiménez Vidal, a learned and multifaceted man who between 1936 and 1971 was the Conservator of the artistic heritage of the prestigious Luliana Archaeological Society.
Blessed in 1954, it is the most beautiful float in Palma's Holy Week, which arouses the greatest admiration. The Virgin, highly esteemed by the people of Mallorca, competes in expressiveness and magnificence with the best Andalusian images. The Bartolomé March Foundation continues to sponsor the confraternity of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza.

Palma de Mallorca

Visit the city

Former family residence

The Bartolomé March Servera Foundation

Project by Architect Luis Gutiérrez Soto

Former family residence

The Bartolomé March Servera Foundation

The areas

The Sculpture Collection

Nativity scene

Works by Sert

Cartography

Library

Music room

Timetable

Prize

Prize

Procession of the Virgin

Procession of the Virgen de la Esperanza

Auditorium

Auditorium