Spain pays for 40 percent of Miquel Barcelò dome at the United Nations in Geneva

Spain pays for 40 percent of Miquel Barcelò dome at the United Nations in Geneva
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By h.b. - Nov 11, 2008 - 7:07 PM

Part of the dome at the United Nations in Brussels while the artist was at work - Photo EFE/UNART

The total cost of the work which will be opened by King Juan Carlos on November 18 is 20 million Euro.

Discussion has been continuing about the cost of the dome at the United Nations in Geneva which has been painted by Mallorca artist Miquel Barceló.

The budget for the work approved by the United Nations Foundation was 18.5 million € with the option to deviate 10% from that amount.

The Spanish permanent representative at the United Nations, Javier Garrigues, confirmed the amount, saying the total cost, of the art work, engineering, artists fee and other items reaches 20 million.

The dome will be opened on November 18 in an event to be attended by the Spanish King and Queen, Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and foreign Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, as well as the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. The work is to celebrate 70 years of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

The artist has commented that he hoped the funding for the work had not taken money ‘from the mouths of the poor’ following the revelation that part of the work has been financed by the Spanish Government using development funds. Garrigues confirmed that 500,000 € came from the FAD Development Fund, justified by the fact that the artwork went to the promotion of human rights and multilateralism.

Barceló at work in another section of the building - Photo EFE/UNART

Spain is paying 40% of the total cost of the work which has taken Miquel Barcló a year and a half to complete, and covers an area of 1,400 square metres in a maze of coloured stalactites.

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