Renowned Mexican art collection to be managed by Spanish bank

"Banco Santander on 21 January that it will manage 160 works from the Gelman Collection of 20th-century Mexican art. The result of a long-term agreement with the Zambrano family, which acquired the collection in 2023, this marks a new chapter for the renowned private collection of more than 300 works (including by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera) that has largely been out of public view since 2008."

"Pieces from the newly branded Gelman Santander Collection will make their debut this summer in the inaugural exhibition at , Fundación Banco Santander's new venue in Cantabria, Spain. But the agreement is complex, as some of the works are National Artistic Monuments under Mexican law, restricting their mobility and mandating oversight by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL)."

"The collection was started by Jacques Gelman, who was born in 1909 in St Petersburg, Russia. He arrived in Mexico in 1938 and became a central figure in the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, producing films starring the celebrated actor Mario Moreno (known by the stage name Cantinflas). Jacques married fellow emigré Natasha Zahalka in 1941. The couple was close with several visual artists, including Kahlo and Rivera-both of whom painted portraits of Natasha-as well as Rufino Tamayo and Gunther Gerzso. Over time, the Gelmans acquired more than 90 works (later known as their "seed collection") by artists including Francisco Toledo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, María Izquierdo and José Clemente Orozco."

Banco Santander will manage 160 works from the Gelman Collection of 20th-century Mexican art under a long-term agreement with the Zambrano family, which acquired the collection in 2023. The Gelman Collection comprises more than 300 works, including pieces by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and has been largely out of public view since 2008. Pieces from the newly branded Gelman Santander Collection will debut this summer at Fundacif3n Banco Santander's new venue in Cantabria, Spain. Some works are designated National Artistic Monuments under Mexican law, restricting mobility and requiring oversight by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL). The collection originated with Jacques and Natasha Gelman and includes a seed collection of over 90 works by leading Mexican modern artists.

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