Manuel Borja-Villel
Manuel Borja-Villel is an art historian and curator. He has been Director at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid from 2008 to 2023. During his tenure he carried out a radical remodeling of the collection and created the Museo en Red, a network of organizations, collectives, and institutions that question the museum and expand its boundaries from beyond. Prior to this Borja-Villel was Director at MACBA in Barcelona (1998-2007) and at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies (1989-1998). As Director of these institutions, he developed an extensive body of work that has entailed a turning point in contemporary curatorial practice: resignifying narratives and exhibition devices and their role in the governance of the institution.
Borja-Villel has written numerous articles in journals and art magazines with an emphasis on the relationship between art and its institutions. He has given lectures at universities, museums, and art centers. He is the recipient of the 2024 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Achievement. Most recently he has been one of the curators at the 35th Sao Paulo Biennial.