IVAM - Institut Valencià d'Art Modern

IVAM, the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, is Valencia's principal museum of modern and contemporary art, established in 1989 as one of the first dedicated contemporary art institutions in Spain. The museum occupies a purpose-built building by architects Emilio Giménez Julián and Carlos Salvadores on Guillem de Castro street in the El Carmen neighbourhood, one of Valencia's most historically rich and atmospheric city quarters. A significant architectural feature of the building is the preserved section of Valencia's 14th-century medieval city walls incorporated into its lower gallery spaces, visible from inside the museum and forming a striking contrast with the contemporary construction above. The permanent collection at IVAM is built around the sculptural and artistic legacy of Julio González, a pioneering Valencian sculptor who developed welded iron and steel sculpture in Paris in the early 20th century and is widely considered a foundational influence on the subsequent development of abstract sculpture worldwide. IVAM holds the world's most comprehensive collection of González's work, spanning his paintings, drawings, and sculptures from his early figurative period through to his late abstract welded metal pieces. Beyond González, the permanent collection includes significant international holdings in abstract painting, photography, experimental film, and video art from the mid-20th century to the present. IVAM is also one of Spain's most active contemporary exhibition venues, with a rolling programme of major temporary exhibitions that have brought internationally acclaimed artists to Valencia across its three decades of operation. The museum has seven gallery spaces, an auditorium, a research library, and a café with a terrace on Guillem de Castro. Entry is free every Sunday, and the museum is within walking distance of the Mercado Central and the Torres de Serranos medieval gateway.