Banco Santander has transformed its historic headquarters in Santander into a prominent cultural center, opening its extensive art collection to the public for the first time in a dedicated space. The Faro Santander, inaugurated on September 7 by King Felipe VI, is situated in the bank’s former headquarters on the Paseo de Pereda, along Spain’s northern coast. The project, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect David Chipperfield, aims to make the bank’s rich art holdings more accessible to a wider audience.
Banco Santander, Europe’s fourth largest bank by assets, possesses a collection of roughly 1,000 works, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures dating from the 15th to the 21st centuries. The collection features international artists such as Titian, Canaletto, Anish Kapoor, and Richard Serra, with a particular emphasis on Spanish masters like El Greco, Francisco de Zurbarán, Picasso, and Miró. Contemporary Spanish artists including Soledad Sevilla and Cristina Iglesias are also represented. Previously held largely out of public view, much of the collection was displayed at the bank’s campus outside Madrid but drew limited visitor numbers.
The new cultural hub repurposes the bank’s stately former headquarters, which dates back to 1923. The building complex was expanded in 1951 with a mirrored structure connected by a three-story archway. Chipperfield’s design preserves the protected exterior while transforming the interior to support exhibition spaces, performance areas, multimedia facilities, and family-friendly features like children’s creative play zones.
One of the architectural challenges was maintaining the building’s historic façade, which local regulations prevented from being significantly altered. To address this, the design team inserted steel and glass bridges within the arch, creating a light-filled circulation space that connects different floors and offers elevated views of the Bay of Santander and Cantabrian mountains. This glazed link also serves as a visual indicator to passers-by that the building has taken on a new cultural role.
Internally, the adaptation was extensive. The inclusion of modern climate control and a three-story basement for art storage and technical services required installing a new steel and concrete framework. Despite these interventions, the architects prioritized conserving the building’s character where possible.
Faro Santander now offers approximately 3,000 square meters of exhibition space. The top-lit fourth floor hosts a rotating selection from the permanent collection, currently featuring works under the theme “Sacred Stories,” including El Greco’s 1614 “Annunciation” and Antoni Tàpies’s 1965 abstract piece “Window onto the Void.” According to Ana Botella, the Faro’s director of programmes, the venue is designed to appeal broadly: visitors might come for family activities and leave having engaged with the art.
By reopening this significant collection in a vibrant public setting, Banco Santander and the Fundación Banco Santander seek to integrate the institution’s cultural assets into the fabric of city life, moving away from exclusivity toward a more inclusive, community-oriented experience.