A fortress of art in Mallorca

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Louis Byrne discovers an exciting art collection in the pretty and vibrant city ofPalma

Frederic Chopin and George Sand spent the winter of 1838 in the beautiful and somewhat isolated village of Valldemossa, well to the north of the city of Palma de Mallorca. Their holiday was not a success: the weather was foul and Fred's piano wasn't delivered, leaving George to describe the locals, rather unfairly, as 'monkeys and thieves'! Had they held off their trip for another 180 years or so they might still have had problems getting a grand piano up those mountainous roads, but not only would they have found the locals both warm and friendly, they might also have taken the opportunity to stop in the island's capital and see some of the artistic treats on offer there now.

Palma today is a pretty and vibrant city all year round. Its shops and bars remind you that you are still essentially in Spain despite the Mallorquin drive for either closer political alliance with their separatist Catalan allies across the water, or their own Balearic type of independence. The city itself is a mix of ancient and modern with its great gothic cathedral La Seu seeming to float on the Bay of Palma, and today’s visitor, and the locals too, are spoilt by the quantity and quality of art and architecture easily and cheaply available.

For the last ten years the jewel in Palma's artistic crown has been Es Baluard, the island's museum of modern and contemporary art (Museu d'Art Modern i Contemporani). The location is as inspirational as it is dramatic: concealed within an ancient fortress that once formed part of the city's walled defence. Lluis and Jaume Garcia-Ruiz, Vincente Tomas and Angel Sanchez-Cantalejo's new building, which opened in 2004, blends perfectly into the existing structure and takes full advantage of the location, overlooking both the bay and the old city, and of the pre-existing spaces including the battlements themselves and even a huge water cistern beneath. 

The museum and its challenging collection are spread over two main floors and play host to many works that are unashamedly Mallorcan. The collection does have its superstars but that's far from the only reason for coming. Barely has the visitor removed their shades before encountering a multitude of colourful and playful drawings by Joan Miró.  Produced in 1978 for a special edition of the local newspapers La Ultima Hora and the Mallorca Daily Bulletin celebrating his 85th birthday, they cover the walls of what the museum calls Zone 2 of its permanent collection, proudly showing off the island's involvement in the avant-garde through Cubism and the drift towards abstraction.

Still the walls and floors are filled with many others works whose relationship with the island is less clear yet are just as welcome: a disturbing black and white video by Wolf Vostell and sculpture by Nam June Paik  are a prelude to works by Robert Motherwell  and Yves Klein. For me it was an untitled work of a woman smoking a cigarette by Maria Carbonero and Bernadi Roig's Cow and the accompanying video that grabbed my attention; plus Miguel Barcelo's Sardine Heads, not to mention works by  Anton Tapies,   Man Ray,  Fernand Leger  and André Masson.

Es Baluard does not throw these big names in your face; it takes its role in Mallorcan cultural, educational, political and social life very seriously. For this reason one of the most enjoyable spaces – and the less frequented by the public on the two occasions I have been there – is the Zone devoted to the museum’s earliest works. These include evocative landscapes from the 19th-century Costumbristas, who tried to capture the scenery, customs, and climate before major European development in the 20th century, although Richard Ankermann's Assault on a Harem might better be left in the basement. Speaking of which, Es Baluard is very pleased with its subterranean space called L’Aljub, which is an enormous 17th-century cistern used now as a space for entertainment and public gathering.

Indeed the atmosphere around the museum is very social: one of calm informality and a place to meet, to study and to enjoy oneself. On my last visit the rooms were filled with the chat and excitement of a group of students with special needs who were clearly comfortable and welcome in their museum. This is just what the current director Nekane Aramburu is trying to achieve even as she struggles with massive cuts in Spanish arts funding. Her aim since arriving in Palma last year has been to break down the walls and the barriers that keep people away from modern art. This space seems to do just that.

I've avoided until now Pablo Picasso's ceramics; an understated addition to the collection, tucked away on the first floor and full of his unique wit. I've also left to last the final feature of Es Baluard, which may not be being used to its full extent. The Balearic climate allows the museum to exploit as an area for exhibition and display the open space atop the very walls of the bastion. Currently it is little more than a walk around the roof with a few works open to the elements. Despite the stunning views of the city, especially the cathedral and the Castell de Bellver not to mention the vast bay, this space ought to be filled with weather-hardy works and installations undertaken by local artists.

The museum is open daily apart from Monday of course (it's a Spanish thing!) from 10a.m. to 10p.m.;  regular late opening is a lesson UK museums could learn from. The cost was €4.50 and why shouldn't you pay for museum entry? I would say we ought to be paying at home in the UK. If you come by bike it's cheaper still, and on Friday you decide how much to pay. The museum has the ubiquitous shop and cafe and a staff group who seem to have been trained to smile and make you feel at ease: just what Fred and George would have needed.