Where Juana Francés Was Born

Alicante commemorates artist Juana Francés on the centenary of her birth. The Department of Culture has installed a commemorative plaque to honour the painter, who was born on July 31st of the last century at the Town Hall square.

This tribute aims to "raise awareness of her name and her work, so that Alicante residents and visitors passing through this place become interested in learning more about her," explained Councillor Nayma Beldjilali, upon unveiling this "well-deserved homage."

The plaque has been placed facing the Town Hall, in the part of the square where the Provincial Court of Alicante currently stands. Family members of the artist gathered there this Friday along with Beldjilali, the regional secretary of Culture, Pilar Tébar, and the curator of MACA, Rosa Castells.

This homage highlights the significance of Juana Francés, a key figure alongside other artists in the renewal of contemporary Spanish art, who in the late 1950s was part of the creation of the group El Paso, being the only woman member.

Juana Francés donated part of her legacy to MACA, works that elevate her as "one of the most significant artists of the Spanish avant-garde," Tébar recalled. "We must recover her name and memory and, moreover, this tribute coincides with the exhibition at IVAM in Valencia featuring part of her work arriving from the Niemeyer Centre."

On the occasion of the centenary of the artist's birth, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante (MACA) is conducting a series of activities throughout the year in her memory. Among them are exhibitions for which works have been loaned from the municipal museum, such as 'Juana Francés' organised by IVAM in Alcoi and another of the same name seen at the Niemeyer Centre in Avilés.

Currently, five works from the Juana Francés collection at MACA have been included in an exhibition in Germany, which will be shown at various venues and delves into the abstract informalism of female artists in the second half of the 20th century.

Additionally, starting next Monday, 'Juana Francés Art Mail' will be launched at MACA. These are postcards reproducing pieces by Juana Francés to be sent worldwide from the museum's counter, where a collection box will be installed. The aim is to spread awareness of the artist's works and allow them to travel and be disseminated.

Furthermore, seminars, educational campuses, and even a documentary is being prepared by art historian Natalia Molinos, who specialises in the figure of Juana Francés through her doctoral thesis and subsequent research.