Before Christmas, the Ministry of Culture announced who will receive this year’s Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts 2022. A list of 33 people with famous names like Victor Manuel, Rosa Montero, Manuel Rivas or Luis Pastor. Among these personalities, the art world pointed out an unknown name: Mercedes Marino Mirazo. As elDiario.es explained a few days ago, alarm bells were sounded when experts pointed out that Mercedes Marino’s training program might not be at the same level as the gold medalist. Some voices pointed out that, instead, and. Mercedes, Marta Marino, may be closer to that standard.
One voice came from the Institute of Contemporary Art (IAC), an association of art world professionals, which sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture this Tuesday asking for clarification. “Controversy that caused a possible error in the name of one of the awardees,” Specify in the lettergave rise to “an urgent need to establish a method which would avoid the opacity which characterizes these awards”.
When this newspaper asked the Ministry of Culture about the criteria to decide who will be awarded this award, Mikel Isetta’s portfolio explained that the “traceability” of these winners is not public. There is no jury, no method, no minutes and no votes, unlike awards such as the Cervantes of Letters, the Velazquez of Plastic Arts or the National Awards. The source of the Ministry noted that these nominations are “prepared in the offices”.
The IAC calls for “transparency, rigor and criteria” “by virtue of a code of good practice in the visual arts” and that “the opinion and assessment of specialists in each sector, although not mandatory,” be taken into account.
The proposal of this professional association, supported by its president, art market specialist Marta Pérez Ibáñez, is that the “Ministry of Culture and Sports create a consultative commission” that “consists of subjects representing all fields. About the proposals of the Ministry of Culture for the mandatory purpose of reporting on the awarding of gold medals for the merits of fine arts”.
Source: El Diario
