María Cristina Peterson Foundation

María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation

In the Chamberí district, a stone’s throw from Paseo del Arte, stands the headquarters of the private, non-profit cultural foundation established by María Cristina Masaveu in 2006. The Foundation’s aim is to promote culture, education and scientific research, both in Spain and abroad.

The María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation (FMCMP) is housed in a rehabilitated neoclassical mansion that once housed a hotel. The rehabilitation, led by architects Rafael Masaveu and Carolina Compostizo, lasted from 2015 to 2018 and ensured the preservation of the building’s structure and of the façade and staircase, which had been granted protected heritage status.

With a surface area of more than 2000 square metres, the three-storey building features 13 multi-purpose rooms, an auditorium seating 150, courtyards and rooftop areas. In one of the courtyards stands Silencio, a 14-metre-high sculpture in relief by Jaume Plensa, and in the lobby you’ll find Altiva, a hanging sculpture by Blanca Muñoz. Both works are site-specific sculptures, resulting from the Foundation’s sponsorship programme and part of the FMCMP Collection.

ESPACIO STREET ART

This room, accessible from 27 October 2021 and only as part of a guided tour, will be dedicated to patronage projects and pieces from the FMCMP Urban Art Collection. There will be different exhibitions on rotation, showing the projects undertaken and the latest acquisitions. The artists exhibiting here include internationally renowned figures, such as Banksy, Keith Haring and Vhils, along with other national figures, both established and up-and-coming, such as Mario Mankey, Muelle, Sabek and Albert Pinya.

These pieces are joined by four projects promoted under the patronage of the Foundation, carried out by El Rey de la Ruina, Estudio Pedrita, Juan Díaz-Fies and Queen Andrea. These last two have designed them specifically for this exhibition space.

María Cristina Masaveu Peterson was born in Oviedo on April 17, 1937, businesswoman and philanthropist, developed an important social work throughout her life. Daughter of the banker, industrialist and patron, Pedro Masaveu Masaveu and Juj Peterson Sjonell, her childhood was marked by the premature death of her mother, which caused her to pour all her affection and admiration into the figure of her father. From him he inherited the sense of rectitude, respect for the ideas of others and tradition, a firm conviction in ethical and moral principles, a passionate fondness for the arts and all forms of culture, as well as a marked commitment and responsibility to society.