Patrimoni Square
The Council of Mallorca has advertised a Heritage Technician position with an alarming peculiarity: it is the only position in the department traditionally intended for an art expert, yet the syllabus has eliminated all references to art history. The University of the Balearic Islands has issued a strong statement, and the rector himself has officially requested that the island institution rectify the situation. This is no small matter, because those responsible for protecting and valuing artistic assets require specific training. Without it, art in Mallorca is left orphaned and vulnerable.
The repercussions are clear. The Council is responsible for heritage matters, but it is now neglecting essential functions in this area, such as deciding which artistic assets are protected and which are not, which collections should be preserved and which can be broken up, which pieces should remain in their place of origin and which can be moved or sold. Without trained experts, artistic heritage is unprotected; Collective memory exposed, and the future subject to improvisation. Without specific training, decisions are arbitrary.
Positions in the Administration are held for decades. Is the intention really that no one with sound judgment can decide on our legacy for the next 20 or 30 years? Let's consider real examples from the last two decades. Would the modern and contemporary art collection at Sa Nostra have been protected without qualified professionals? Who would have decided whether the assets of Can Olesa or Can Vivot could be separated or if it was necessary to preserve them all? Who would have faced the current legal battle to preserve the works of art at Can Pueyo? Who would have reviewed the municipal catalogs that include artistic assets? Who would have defined the safeguarding of collections like those of the Lluc Museum? And in the future, who will determine how to proceed with restorations or new interventions at the Cathedral of Mallorca?
What's more, here, where we are so proud of the contemporary art linked to the island—from Miró to Barceló, and hundreds of other artists in between—it seems we want to move towards a future where no one within the Heritage Department of the Consell de Mallorca has the training to assess these works of art and preserve them. And art isn't protected with good intentions, much less with the whims of one person or another: it requires knowledge, rigor, and commitment. Without that, all our artistic heritage is in danger.
What the Consell is doing with the Heritage position isn't a simple administrative error; it's a blunder that threatens to leave Mallorca without expert judgment to protect its art. If it weren't for the fact that this can't be done in any way, one might think the position is intended for someone who isn't an art historian, but, of course, this can't be. In any case, if we want to preserve our legacy, experts are essential. Anything less than this is negligence, a risk to the future, and a clear message about how our heritage is currently valued. This decision by the Council is not just worrying, it's intolerable.