Noa de la Torre Valencia

Valencia

Updated Wednesday, February 21, 2024-17:48

  • Culture The Generalitat denounces the director of the IVAM in the Prosecutor's Office for a donation to the foundation of an expert from the jury that elected her

The

Generalitat Valenciana

took the first step and it did not take

Nuria Enguita

24 hours to take the next one. The director of the Valencian Institute of Modern Art (

IVAM

), presented her resignation this Wednesday in response to the complaint that the Ministry of Culture itself had sent to the Prosecutor's Office for a donation that Enguita made to

Vicent Todolí

's foundation . The former director of the Tate Modern in London

received some land from Enguita through the Todolí Citrus foundation

, despite the fact that she had previously participated as a jury in the public competition that chose the former director of the IVAM.

In a statement, Enguita has denounced the

"continued attacks" against him based, he assures, "on falsified information"

and considering that he does not have the support of the Consell. Despite the complaint to the Prosecutor's Office, the spokesperson for the Valencian Government, Ruth Merino, assured this Wednesday that Enguita would continue to run the museum as long as no irregularity was confirmed.

According to Enguita, with his departure from IVAM he seeks to "avoid further damage to the museum." "Given the complaint made by the Generalitat Valenciana and the continued attacks against me based on falsified information, it is evident that I do not have the support of the Valencian Government," he states in the letter. The vice president of the Generalitat and Minister of Culture,

Vicente Barrera

(Vox), had not publicly asked him to resign either, although sources from his department confirmed that he was subjecting the museum to an audit.

Enguita has pointed out that last week the 35th anniversary of the IVAM was successfully celebrated and "it was demonstrated that the institution is at its best moment in the last 25 years", and adds: "It does not seem a coincidence that the malicious attacks against me coincide with the moment of maximum social visibility of the museum", he stressed.

In this sense, he has defended that the recovery work with which his leadership began "is on track" and now it is the responsible teams and the citizens "who have to defend the institutions, given the fragility to which they are subjected by political interests." -media".

"In these four years, with the dedication and enthusiasm of many people, we have achieved some non-negligible objectives," added the Madrid expert, to conclude her writing by thanking all those who have collaborated with the IVAM and, most especially , to his closest team for his "magnificent" professionalism.

The truth is that with the arrival of Vox to the Culture Department of the Generalitat, there had been speculation about his possible departure from IVAM. Culture, however, maintained confidence in him, despite the fact that in other cultural institutions the top officials have been dismissed. But now one of the main Valencian museums is completely beheaded, since the Ministry of Culture was immersed in the process of searching for a new manager for the IVAM.

In fact, Culture sources have recognized that, "immediately", the Generalitat must "finish the manager selection process and study the formula for the appointment of the future director of the institution that is turning 35 years old." "The IVAM continues to function completely normally," they have insisted from the department in the hands of Vox, which respects Enguita's decision and appreciates "its way of working and collaboration during these months."

In any case, for Culture this is "a case inherited from the previous government and, therefore, those responsible at that time for the selection process for senior positions, such as the one occupied by Nuria Enguita, are the ones who must give all the appropriate explanations." to clarify all aspects of this matter and collaborate with both the administration and the justice system where appropriate to clean up the good name and prestige of the IVAM."

Nuria Enguita was elected in September 2020 as director of the IVAM. She agreed through a public competition, although she was the only candidate. Two years later, she formalized the donation of some land to the Todolí foundation, a gesture that she admitted but framed in a "crowdfunding campaign" in which 25 other artists participated. As Culture pointed out in its letter to the Prosecutor's Office, "it could be deduced that the selected applicant would have made a 'pure' donation in favor of the member of the evaluation commission, not modal or conditional, so it

could be a remunerative donation

."