The MARQ has completed the remodelling, improvement and refurbishment works of the three temporary halls and the new lighting in the technical work areas, as well as the refurbishment of the central corridor and the Waves in the Sky space. A major overhaul to start the new year with a new ambitious and powerful exhibition programme.
The Vice-President of the Provincial Council and Deputy for Culture, Julia ParraThis morning she toured the refurbished areas accompanied by the managing director of the MARQ Foundation, José Alberto Cortésthe technical director of MARQ, Manuel Olcinathe head of exhibitions and dissemination, Jorge Soler, and the director of the Provincial Council's Department of Architecture and the person responsible for the project, Rafael Pérez. "This year we are going to take a fundamental step in the process of internationalisation of MARQ thanks to the important alliances signed with administrations and museums in other autonomous communities and countries", explained Parra.
After the visit, the deputy presented MARQ's programme for 2020. The museum is preparing to welcome three exhibition projects which will kick off with 'Idols. Miradas Milenarias' on 29 January. The exhibition, made up of 226 pieces from around twenty museums in Spain and PortugalThe most important representations of anthropomorphic figures known as idols are found in this collection, which is the best evidence of the beliefs shared by groups from 3300 to 2500 BC. Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic.
Another proposal will come in June, Metal Arts in al-Andalus'. dedicated exclusively to one of the periods of greatest splendour and international influence in our history, which brings together the main masterpieces of Andalusian metalwork, which combine the reflection of the society of the time, technical precision and aesthetic beauty.. The year will end with what will undoubtedly be a national cultural event, '.The warriors of Xi'anan exclusive selection with 120 original pieces. "It will be the first time that they have come together in a Spanish museum 10 terracotta sculptures and an original horse," said the deputy, who expressed her hope that it would arouse the interest of the people of Alicante and be a stimulus for tourism.
Julia Parra has also announced that the Hand of Lucentumone of the most representative figures of MARQ, will travel today to Lisbon to take part in an exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum of PortugalThe new programme will be launched on 19 February next.
On another front, the architect Rafael Pérez emphasised that during the three months of work, special care was taken to ensure that the work interfered as little as possible with the normal running of the institution and to keep the permanent exhibition rooms open to the public. The operations have been carried out on a surface area of 1,100 square metresbetween the museum's distribution hall and the sector comprising the three temporary exhibition galleries, with a total investment of close to half a million euros.
The project director also assured that the rooms now have a higher thermal and hygrometric stabilityThe new wall and floor coverings, made up of panels with insulating materials, have eliminated the existing thermal bridges, thus maintaining the environmental constants required in the exhibition areas and, consequently, of the materials and pieces that the museological contents are exhibited in them, considerably increasing the energy efficiency of these spaces and their safety.
On the other hand, the research and scientific activity does not stop at the Alicante museum either. Olcina is the coordinator of the calendar of scientific meetings, among which the '.International Small Towns Congress. An urban reality in Roman Hispania'.the International Congress on Bone, Antler and Ivory in the Metal Ages of Europe', the Valencian Community Archaeology Congress and presentations such as the lecture by the Egyptologist Marina Escolano or the cycle dedicated to Idols.
MARQ closed 2019 with a significant increase in the number of visitors, standing at more than 190,000 people who passed through the museum and sites. It was also a very important year in terms of exhibitions, with the last few days of the 'Rupestre. The First Sanctuaries'. and the collection of Persian treasures from Iran. Cradle of Civilisations'.. In the words of José Alberto CortésThe exchange with the National Museum of Iran in Tehran (MNI) has concluded with a historic event: the exhibition of collections from the Alicante museum at the MNI. Alicante. Treasures of the MARQ'. has already registered nearly 20,000 visits.
