The La Caixa Foundation unveiled CaixaForum+, a new online content platform designed to become a premier reference for culture and science in the Spanish-speaking world. The Madrid launch showcased a bold step toward expanding access to cultural knowledge beyond traditional venues, inviting a broad audience to explore cultural offerings on a digital stage.
The platform opens with a substantial initial catalog. It features more than 300 titles, alongside thousands of audio and video tracks and nearly 600 hours of programming. While the catalog is complete at launch, nearly half of these items are original productions created by the La Caixa Foundation. The initiative also brings together collaborations with leading national and international cultural institutions and prominent brands, such as the Prado Museum, the British Museum, the Barcelona Museum of History, Teatro Real, and the Guggenheim Bilbao, as well as the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, among others. These partnerships amplify the platform’s reach and reinforce its mission to harmonize scholarship, artistry, and public access.
The roster of voices and personalities presented on CaixaForum+ reads like a who’s who of contemporary culture. Names such as Blanca Portillo, Jorge Drexler, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Soledad Sevilla, Emilio Morenatti, Isabel Coixet, Alicia Giménez Bartlett, Santiago Auserón, and Fernando Trueba are among hundreds highlighted in the initial content offering. The public can access these works starting today, enriching cultural exposure across languages and regions.
The platform’s debut event featured Cayetana Guillén Cuervo hosting, with musical accompaniment from Oscar D’aniello, the male half of Delafé y Las Flores Azules, on CaixaForum Madrid’s stage. Elisa Durán, Leticia Dolera, Maria Arnal, and scientists Bartolo Luque and Rubén H. participated among others, illustrating the collaboration across arts, science, and media that CaixaForum+ aims to embody. Executives from the La Caixa Foundation and representatives from partner institutions contributed to the dialogue about why this digital shift matters for culture. An emphasis remained on accessibility and inclusion for diverse audiences, with a clear intent to reach every corner of society.
“The goal is for everyone to reach culture,” noted Elisa Durán during the presentation. “Our CaixaForums already reach nine cities, and our traveling exhibitions circulate in almost a hundred cities annually. Yet there are audiences who cannot access the Foundation’s cultural offerings, which is why a digital platform makes sense. This is an opportunity to broaden participation.”
Durán also reflected on the pandemic’s influence, acknowledging its role in strengthening resolve and accelerating the project. She explained that CaixaForum+ was conceived before the world paused for Covid-19, but the crisis underscored the central role screens have come to play in global cultural life. The aim has always been to present culture wherever the audience chooses to consume it, encouraging habits of cultural engagement across platforms.
Guillermo Solana, Thyssen Museum’s art director, commented on the platform’s significance in the broader trend of digital convergence. He recalled talks about a Netflix-like Thyssen project and noted that while individual institutions could attempt to drive cultural access in isolation, it is the La Caixa Foundation that can unite and empower this digital vision at scale.
On CaixaForum+, users will discover a diverse mix of documentaries, series, podcasts, films, interviews, concerts, and operas. The platform is designed to work across computers, mobile devices, and tablets, with a straightforward sign-up process that is, for now, free of charge. This accessibility underscores the foundation’s commitment to broad cultural participation and lifelong learning, inviting curious minds to explore content at their own pace and convenience. [Attribution: CaixaForum+ initiative, La Caixa Foundation]