STORAGE

The storage – or reserve – area is the space where works of art remain the longest and is also the place with the highest number of artworks in the museum. It is, therefore, a very important area not only for the conservation of the collections, but also for their entire management cycle. A storage area without adequate conditions cannot guarantee the other missions fulfilled by museums, which are based on the generation and transmission of knowledge via their collections. Artworks remain ‘in reserve’ while waiting to be exhibited or studied, and many tasks are carried out during that time: registration, labelling, photography, preparatory work for an exhibition or loan, packing, maintenance tasks, documentation and the occasional visits from different groups. However, and although the situation has been gradually changing since those first storage areas – not much more than storage rooms or even showroom/storage spaces where practically everything was exhibited – it is still fairly common that they are not always given the attention they deserve.

At the CA2M, the storage areas were made part of the architectural project right from the start and have been equipped with everything necessary to fulfil their primary functions. Location, construction materials and cladding, good accessibility from the outside and between internal spaces, security installations, fire extinguishers, air conditioning and loudspeakers and information points were all planned. Similarly, security protocols were established for access, climate control, as well as the moving and cleaning of the artworks.