Commissions

“At TBA21, we collaborate with artists whose research seamlessly traverses different disciplines, creating work that engages with the streams and conditions of our contemporary society. This is something that we have always wanted to facilitate and engage with.” —Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza

Founded in 2002 by Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary represents the fourth generation of the Thyssen family’s dedication to the arts. Soon after its inception, the foundation shifted its focus and commitment from collecting artworks to commissioning and disseminating artistic projects that defy traditional categorization, focusing on large-scale installations, research-based artworks, sound compositions, performance, and contemporary architecture. In turn, the practice of commissioning and producing new artworks ultimately also shapes and defines the TBA21 Collection.

For TBA21, art is a complex form of knowledge, one that draws from existing knowledges while simultaneously revealing art’s unbounded, imaginative, and non-categorical nature. Since the foundation believes that art has the capacity to be a transformational force in society, it explores new modes of production and presentation that are intended to catalyse social and environmental change. This new form of inquiry questions with great urgency how artistic practices can create an outside of art and intervene in and act upon the public sphere.