MITMA (Spain's Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda) takes the final step towards setting up the Naves de Gamazo as the permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection

Today in Madrid, the Minister of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, José Luis Ábalos, presided over the signing of the agreement that allows the Naves de Gamazo, in the city of Santander, to be set up and used as the permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art. The signatories were the State Secretary for Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Pedro Saura, and the Vice-President of the Government of Cantabria and Minister of Universities, Equality, Culture and Sport, Pablo Zuloaga.

This agreement will provide for shared and equitable financing to ensure the current and future sustainability of the projectThe partnership agreement between the two administrations will allow for shared and equitable financing of the operating costs of the Naves de Gamazo, ensuring the current and future sustainability of this project, which MITMA and the Government of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria want to use to expand the cultural and leisure activities available in Santander and throughout the region.

The Ministry, through the ENAIRE Foundation, will be responsible for running the centre and installing a permanent selection of pieces from the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, which will be rotated over subsequent months, and for organising several annual temporary exhibits.

For its part, the Government of Cantabria will handle the annual schedule of teaching activities, as well as the staffing and security of the new centre.

This agreement, and the one recently signed by the Department with the Port Authority of Santander, which will finance the general maintenance of the building, will be used to cover the total operating expenses, estimated at around 600,000 euros a year.

Unique and representative buildings

MITMA has transformed the Naves de Gamazo, unique buildings that represent Cantabrian industrial architecture. They are scheduled to be opened on 1 July in a modern cultural space covering almost 1,000 square metres.

The Naves de Gamazo will be the new permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, and aim to become a singular and unique public service centre that contributes to the artistic debate and cultural services of Cantabria, a place in which to learn about and appreciate 21st-century art and culture.

The opening of the Naves de Gamazo, and the investment of 2,159,000 euros made by MITMA, is framed within the Spanish Historical Heritage Act, which establishes the obligation of allocating 1.5% of the amount set forth in public works contracts to preserve and enrich Spanish Historical Heritage or to promote artistic creativity.

The agreement to transfer the use of the Naves de Gamazo from the Santander Port Authority to the ENAIRE Foundation lays out a period of 20 years, renewable for successive five-year periods up to a maximum of 50 years.

Barceló, Tàpies, Chillida, Broto, Genovés, Arroyo, Úrculo

Visitors to the Naves de Gamazo will be able to enjoy a selection of pieces from the "ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art", which consists of almost 1,300 works from the most renowned Spanish artists from the second half of the 20th century to the present day, most notably Miquel Barceló, Antoni Tàpies, Eduardo Chillida, Broto, Juan Genovés, Arroyo, Úrculo, and photographers like Ballester, Chema Madoz and García-Alix.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, it provides en route control services for all flights and overflights from five control centres in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Gran Canaria and Palma, as well as approach services to every airport in the country.

In addition, 45 control towers receive ENAIRE's communication, navigation and surveillance services, and 21 airports, including the country's busiest, rely on its aerodrome control services.

ENAIRE is the fourth most important European air navigation service provider, and, in a clear commitment to the Single Sky initiative, belongs to international partnerships such as SESAR Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, A6 Alliance, iTEC, CANSO and ICAO.

ENAIRE is the official provider of aeronautical information in Spain.