The MACBA gallery and La Caixa are to join their art collections in an agreement which will create a bigger collection than the Reina Sofia gallery in Madrid (read article in Castilian here, El Pais). The deal is to include more than 2,400 works of art at an estimated value of €160 million and concerns work done in the last 30 years. In an agreement, reached yesterday, although submitted in September, it was agreed by Isidre Fainé, the president of La Caixa and the Fundación and Leopoldo Rodés, the president of the Fundación Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Barcelona (MACBA) that the two galleries were to merge their contemporary art collections. The creation of an advisory committee, a result of the merger, and the establishment of a coordinated policy for the purchase of books are key to the agreement between the private foundations. The complimentary collections of both institutes was thought to be a driving force behind the deal. La Caixa's collection of 869 works is strong with artists from the Fifties and Eighties, such as Marlene Dumas, Saura, Tàpies and Oteiza, whilst the MACBA's collection is more conceptual and focuses on work from the Sixties and Seventies, plus more recent work from the end of the Nineties up to the present day. Bartomeu Marí, director of the MACBA said yesterday, "We complement each other like a glove."

Also in the news: Barcelona has leaped seven places in the ranking of the most expensive cities to live (read full article in Castilian here, El Periodico). Gràcia to employ private security firms for the Fiesta Mayor (read full article in Castilian here, La Vanguardia).