Sculpture, Frederic Marès’ artist vocation, also became his passion. Throughout his lifetime, he assembled an extensive collection of Spanish sculpture which spans from the ancient world until the 19th century, predominantly polychrome religious sculpture. This collection occupies the ground and first floors, as well as part of the building’s basement.
Marès also donated some of his own sculptures, which are displayed in his Library-Study.
The Collector’s Cabinet occupies the second and third floors of the building. It is practically a museum within a museum and showcases to what lengths Marès went to satisfy his passion for collecting. Dozens of thousands of pieces document lifestyles and customs of the past, primarily from the 19th century, including fans, pipes, clocks, photographs, toys, keys, pharmacy bottles and reliquaries, all presented in an intimate atmosphere that evokes Marès’ own particular universe.
One of the main goals of the collections area is to document the sources of the works, the way they reached the Museum and their provenances, which shed light on Frederic Marès’ profile as a collector.
In terms of preventative conservation and restoration, the Museum works to ensure the preservation of the works and objects in its collections for present and future generations.
The collaborative efforts of the Museum’s different departments provide more in-depth historical and artistic knowledge of the works and ultimately improve the way they are presented and disseminated to the public.
