Restoration
In 1958 the State Department purchased two wall panels depicting the Spanish towns of Toledo and Cordoba by Josep María Sert i Badia. The two Sert panels were painted in 1920 for the Marquis of Salamanca. They ran the length of the lobby of the U.S. Embassy in Madrid until the mural was moved to the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona in 2023. Measuring approximately 10 x 13 feet each, the works are typical of Sert’s later period, and are part of a series of paintings of Spanish towns that he produced.
Various factors had caused the murals to deteriorate. Scratches had appeared, holes drilled into the murals had destroyed portions of the paintings, and preservation efforts over the years had left surfaces darker in some sections than others. FAPE funded the restoration of these two murals in 1994; conservator Santiago Ferrete Ponce oversaw the project. FAPE also enabled the restoration of two Spanish carpets in the Ambassador’s Residence.
Nearly 30 years later, in June 2023, Mr. Ponce once again oversaw the conservation of the works when the State Department moved the murals to the main stair hall at the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona. This was particularly meaningful since Sert was from Barcelona and had collaborated with the building’s architect, Sagnier, on many occasions.
Click here to learn more about the recent conservation project.
U.S. Consulate in Barcelona, Spain
Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23
08034 Barcelona, España