BARCELONA.-After an international search for a new director for the Museum of Contemporary Art, the head of exhibitions and right hand man of the former director has been chosen. The museum's board of directors will make the offical announcement today.

Sixteen candidates, thre Spaniards, three Americans and the rest Europeans, had been considered for the top position. Four finalists were alowed to present their future plans for the museum.

The jury that made the ultimate hoice was composed of Lynne Cooke, Director of DIA Center for the Arts in New York, María Corral, former head of the Reina Sofia, Chris Dercon, from the Haus der Kunst in Munich; Vicente Todolí, Director of Tate Modern de Londres and cinematographer Pere Portabella.

The museum opened to the public on 28 November 1995. All the art dates back from the late 20th century onward. There are three periods of modern art represented: the first one covers the forties to the sixties; the second spans the sixties and seventies; the third period is contemporary. The collections focus on post-1945 Catalan and Spanish art, although some foreign art is also represented. Opposite the main museum stands the medieval Convent dels Àngels (the square's namesake), which includes a chapel converted into a separate exposition area known as Capella del Macba, with regular video art performances. Entrance to this part of the museum is free.

On June 19th, 1997 the MACBA and the Consortium (comprised of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and the MACBA Foundation) signed a long-term loan agreement regarding the works of art accumulated, thus making the MACBA’s permanent collection official. The Collection consists of said loans and works donated to the Consortium by other institutions or private entities.
Since their integration into the Consortium, these collections have been organized and developed according to the parameters established by the Museum, however, they have diverse origins and their specificity reflects the political and cultural complexity and contradictions that have, until now, characterized our Museum’s history.

The MACBA Collection, which starts in roughly 1950, consists of many works from Catalonian, Spanish and International artists. Though not an anthology, it is a thorough overview of the fundamental aspects of Contemporary Art which hopes to promote both exercises and education in critical memory.