When FredericMarès was still only a child, he already possessed those qualities which are essential for any true collector: a combination of curiosity and a passion for owning beautiful or ‘special’ things. In his memories he describes how, from a very young age, he used to collect book illustrations, chocolate wrappings, chromolithographs, toys and Japanese prints. When he was older and was studying Fine Art, his father was offered a fifteenth century reredos showing Ramon Lull, which he was unable to buy because he did not have enough money at that time.

Marès, however, provided the money for him to buy the work of art, by giving him the prize money that he had won in an exhibition. These early examples of Marès’s personality, showing his passion for collecting things, were reaffirmed during the time he spent in Paris. Here, living on the grants he had obtained to help him develop his artistic career, he came into contact with the world of antique dealers and art auctions. And it is here that he began to gather together his first collections

The money Marès used to finance his collections did not come from his father, as was the case with other well-known collectors as they were not a particularly well off family. Instead he used his earnings from sculptures he was commissioned to make. To begin with, the objects he collected were kept in his studio or in the family house.

Only his family and his closest friends knew about them, not the general public. Later on, in the 1940s when Marès emerged as a public figure, these objects which he had been collecting for years, became known to the public. And in 1964when the Friends of the Museums of Catalunya organised an exhibition showing pieces from his collections, he announced his intention of donating the collection to the city.

MUSEUM

In accordance with Marès’s wishes, the Barcelona Town Hall agreed to set up the museum in the Gothic quarter of the city. The first room was opened in 1946 and the museum was officially inaugurated in 1948. The museum occupies various buildings which used to be part of the Royal Palace, the Barcelona home of the Catalan/Aragonese monarchs in Medieval times.

As part of the renovation of the whole Gothic quarter, some of the museum buildings have been renovated in a medieval style, thus creating unique surroundings in which to exhibit the collections. Frederic Marès’s passion for collecting did not fade once the museum had opened. He continued to acquire new pieces, to extend the existing collections and to create new ones.

This fact, combined with the donations he received from individuals, and from private and public institutions has made it necessary to enlarge the buildings on various occasions and to take over many of the adjoining houses. As soon as it became impossible for the museum to expand any further due to lack of space, Marès began a policy of so-called ‘decentralisation’: he made donations to other museums or established new museums.

Some of the most significant donations can be found in the Empordà Museum in Figueres, the History Museum in Sabadell and the Museum of the Royal Academy of Fine Art in San Fernando, Madrid. As regards new museums, we must note the following: the Frederic Marès Museum in Montblanc, the Marès Museum in Arenys de Mar and the Frederic Marès Book Museum in the Catalunya Library.