The Casa de Cultura Ignacio Aldecoa is set to enhance its collection with a series of personal items belonging to the renowned writer from Vitoria-Gasteiz, thanks to a donation from the aldecoa and anitua aldecoa families. The formal handover took place recently with the signing of the donation document by Ana del Val, the regional deputy for culture and sport.
This donation will allow for the preservation and public display of a portion of the author’s personal legacy in the library named after him. The donated items will be permanently exhibited at the Casa de Cultura, as stipulated by the families, and may only be removed for temporary loans.
“This donation holds special significance as it allows us to recover and preserve a part of ignacio aldecoa's life. Thanks to the generosity of his family, these items will be accessible to anyone wishing to learn more about him, not just through his books but also through the objects that were part of his daily life,” said Ana del Val.
In conjunction with this donation, the Casa de Cultura has created a new exhibition space titled 'the remains of the shipwreck', a name derived from a text by josefina aldecoa that reminisces about the items that characterised their life together during their 17 years of marriage. In her writing, josefina recalled gathering “the furniture, books, paintings, all the most significant things for ignacio and me” in their garden house, including a print of 'the whaling' and a sturdy walnut table, the first piece of furniture they acquired together.
Two of these items, the walnut table and the print of 'the whaling', which were previously displayed in ignacio aldecoa's study, are now part of this donation and will return to Vitoria-Gasteiz. They will be showcased alongside other personal belongings of the writer in the new exhibition space, allowing visitors to connect with the more intimate and everyday aspects of his life.
The establishment of this exhibition coincides with another significant anniversary: 2026 marks 25 years since the Casa de Cultura adopted the name of ignacio aldecoa. This change was formalised through Agreement 1042/2001 by the Council of Deputies on 4 December, published in the BOTHA on 26 December 2001. The creation of this exhibition space reinforces, a quarter of a century later, the connection between the writer and the institution that bears his name, contributing to the preservation of his legacy in Álava.
Additionally, the donation serves as a meaningful conclusion to the programme of activities organised by the Diputación Foral de Álava in celebration of the centenary of ignacio aldecoa's birth, which has been commemorated throughout 2025. This year has seen special attention given to his figure and work through exhibitions, publications, and various cultural proposals. Notably, the exhibition 'ignacio aldecoa: the storyteller', inaugurated in May 2025 at the Casa de Cultura and curated by writer julià guillamon, attracted considerable public interest and was extended until November.
The centenary also gained national recognition with the exhibition 'ignacio aldecoa: the craft of writing', which opened in December 2025 at the Biblioteca Nacional de España in collaboration with the Diputación Foral de Álava and Acción Cultural Española. This exhibition delved deeper into his career and introduced two unpublished novels, 'city of afternoon' and 'the great market', discovered during prior research.
The remembrance programme will continue on Friday, 13 November, at 19:00, with a choral and literary concert by the Coral Ignacio Aldecoa, taking place in the auditorium of the Casa de Cultura. This performance will serve as a tribute to the writer in the days leading up to the anniversary of his passing, which is commemorated on Sunday, 15 November, the date of his death in 1969. Through this donation, the Casa de Cultura Ignacio Aldecoa strengthens its connection to the writer's memory and adds a permanent space dedicated to preserving and sharing part of his personal history.
