Culture
Malaga pauses Thyssen Museum negotiations while Baroness Carmen Thyssen recoversThe mayor has confirmed that Carmen Cervera's three children are going to join the negotiations as heirs
Añádenos en Google Archive photo of Baroness Carmen Thyssen in the museum in Malaga that bears her name. (Salvador Salas)Paco Griñán and Pilar R. Quirós
Malaga
26/05/2026 a las 10:44h.Malaga city council and Baroness Carmen Thyssen have extended the agreement governing the Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga until the end of 2026 after failing to finalise a new long-term deal before the current contract expires this June.
Mayor Francisco de la Torre has now revealed that negotiations have remained on hold for several months while the baroness, Tita Cervera, recovers from recent health problems. He also confirmed that her children now form part of the discussions over the future of one of Malaga's best-known museums.
The news is from last Friday, when both sides confirmed the temporary extension of the current agreement, which originally covered a 15-year period. The Museo Carmen Thyssen Málaga opened in the restored Palacio de Villalón in 2011 and houses a major collection of 19th-century Spanish art belonging to Baroness Carmen Cervera.
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Speaking to SUR on Monday, De la Torre said that negotiations had stalled "for several months" while the city waits for the baroness to make a "full and complete recovery" before resuming talks. Although he declined to discuss the specific terms under negotiation, he highlighted one important difference compared with the original 2011 agreement: this time, not only the owner of the collection but also her heirs, her son Borja, 46, and twin daughters Carmen and Sabina, 19, take part in the process.
Back in 2021, five years before the current contract expired, Baroness Thyssen had already expressed her willingness to extend the agreement with Malaga city council and keep the museum in the city. However, both sides have failed to conclude negotiations since then, while the collector's recent health problems have complicated discussions further.
Earlier this month, doctors transferred Tita Thyssen by helicopter from her residence on the Costa Brava to Barcelona's Teknon clinic after pneumonia caused complications. "We now have to wait until she makes a full and complete recovery, as we all hope," De la Torre said.
Last week, the baroness responded to reports about a deterioration in her health in an interview with Hola magazine. She admitted that she had felt "very unwell" but insisted that she was now recovering well. "No relapse, no serious condition," she said.
Malaga city council now waits for her recovery before restarting discussions over the future of the museum, the first institution to bear her name. A second Carmen Thyssen museum later opened in Andorra, although it currently remains closed while it changes location.
The mayor avoided giving "too many details" because negotiations remain open, although he acknowledged that his last contact with the baroness and her team had taken place "several months" prior. With the second half of the year still ahead, he hopes to restart talks once the collector feels ready to continue.
"There should not be any obstacles,"De la Torre said, adding that the council wants to secure "the longest possible agreement" to guarantee the museum's future in Malaga. Although he did not confirm a timeframe, discussions five years ago reportedly considered extending the agreement for another 15 years, until 2041, mirroring the original contract.
De la Torre compared the negotiations with the recent renewal of Malaga's agreement with the Pompidou Málaga museum, which secured another ten years. However, he pointed out that the Thyssen case differs because the council negotiates directly with "a collector" rather than with a public institution.
Another key issue in the talks is that Baroness Thyssen, now 83, wants her children to play a role in shaping the agreement. "There are naturally heirs who also need consideration within this framework of negotiation," the mayor said.
De la Torre defended the importance of keeping the museum in the restored Palacio de Villalón, describing it as "a museum with a strong brand". He also reflected on Malaga's ultural transformation over recent decades. "The Malaga of my childhood and adolescence bears no resemblance to the city today in cultural terms, so we must continue preserving and strengthening that progress," he said.
The mayor considers the Museo Carmen Thyssen essential. He highlighted the museum's strong attendance figures, with around 200,000 visitors annually over the last two years, as well as the added attraction of the recently opened Roman archaeological remains beneath the building. "This museum has everything it needs to remain an important attraction," De la Torre stated.