Spain’s Galician Center for Contemporary Art Faces Revolt Over New Director
A leadership decision at one of Galicia’s key contemporary art institutions has triggered a public backlash, with more than 1,400 artists, critics, gallery owners, and academics signing an open letter against the appointment of Eva López Tarrío as director of the Galician Center for Contemporary Art (CGAC) in Santiago de Compostela.
López Tarrío, a high school art teacher and civil servant, also holds a PhD in Fine Arts. But critics argue that the regional government’s choice overlooks the curatorial and international experience usually associated with directing a major contemporary art center. The dispute has quickly become less about one appointment than about the standards used to govern public cultural institutions.
Among the most vocal objections is a letter warning that limiting the directorship to civil servants would “impoverish and politicize” the center. Susana Cendán, a PhD curator and lecturer at the University of Vigo, said she applied for the post and described the process as “not based on professional merit.” Alberto Ruiz de Samaniego, a professor, critic, and curator of the Spanish Pavilion at the 2007 Venice Biennale, said on Instagram that other candidates had “more solid and recognized professional, academic, and international track records.”
The controversy deepened after apparent errors were found in López Tarrío’s CV, including a claim that she worked for the Laxeiro Foundation before it legally existed. Three of the CGAC’s five advisory board members have resigned in protest, a sign that the dispute has spread beyond public criticism into the institution’s own governance structure.
For CGAC, the episode arrives at a sensitive moment. Contemporary art institutions increasingly sit at the intersection of public administration, professional expertise, and political scrutiny, and the fight over this appointment has exposed how fragile that balance can be when trust in the selection process breaks down.
