Carmen Thyssen Museum Signs 10-Year Deal to Relocate to Andorra Telecom's Node HQ

The Carmen Thyssen Museum has signed a 10-year collaboration agreement with Andorra Telecom and the government to relocate to two independent basement levels at the Node headquarters in Andorra la Vella, with an opening planned for autumn 2026—likely October or November—or no later than 1 January 2027. The deal, formalised on Thursday at a press conference attended by Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Mònica Bonell, Andorra Telecom deputy director general Cèsar Marquina, and Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection general curator Guillermo Cervera, comes after delays in Node construction and the museum's closure on 4 January at its prior location in the former Valira hotel in Escaldes-Engordany.

Fundació Museand, the museum operator, will use 961.81 square metres—nearly triple the previous area—plus ground-floor space for a shop and services. In return for Andorra Telecom's adaptation works, finishes and technology setup, the foundation will pay €30,000 to €40,000 monthly, totalling €3.6 million to €4.8 million over the decade.

The setup includes a 200-square-metre permanent gallery with 40 to 50 works from Baroness Carmen Thyssen's collection, emphasising 20th- and 21st-century art such as modernisme català alongside rotating European loans. This marks a shift from the Valira site's annual temporary exhibitions over the past decade. A 400-square-metre immersive digital area will feature year-round changing experiences mixing original art with digital artist interpretations, cultural references and Andorran identity elements.

Bonell, who chairs the foundation, presented the site as a digital hub to introduce new technologies, revive a government exhibition space vacant since 2015, and position Andorra in digital culture. Marquina highlighted the Node's social mission, with digital outreach on the first floor and two public plazas, stressing that the agreement covers full infrastructure, not just space. Cervera described the daily blend of analogue and digital as "singular and pioneering," distinct from other Thyssen venues, with a focus on cultural duty over profit and content carrying deeper messages beyond visual impact.

Budget constraints rule out concurrent exhibitions, keeping the museum closed through 2026 for preparations. Its last show, *Vincles: Cuixart conversa amb la Col·lecció Carmen Thyssen*, attracted 13,118 visitors—6,767 residents, 2,422 from Catalonia, 2,148 from Spain, 556 from France and 1,225 others—with July at 2,604. It included 311 sessions, 34 partnerships and activities for 5,391 participants, among them 960 in social programmes, 3,259 children through EduCarmen Thyssen and 3,050 family events.

The government, providing €460,000 for 2025, may raise funding amid expected visitor increases along Avenida Meritxell and higher ticket prices, though details remain pending. The Valira lease, at €9,000 monthly funded by Escaldes-Engordany parish with €450,000 annual government aid, ends 1 January 2027; the ministry seeks to repurpose it for two private collections, subject to parish consent. Since 2017, the site drew 122,747 visitors, averaging about 13,600 yearly.