It has been 50 years since the King and Queen of Spain paid an official visit to the Ateneo de Madrid until April 11th when they were invited to inaugurate the bicentenary of the cultural institution founded in 1820. The day before everything was ready for the big event, but when it was closing time there were still a handful of people inside the historic building on Calle del Prado. Specifically: 14 partners. They had decided to lock themselves up. Sitting on the floor of the portrait gallery with the lights off, they protested firstly at the act and secondly at the current management of the private club, headed by sociologist Luis Arroyo. Since the new team took the reins in May 2021, the animosity of some members has grown – hence the attempt to ‘boycott’ Her Majesties’ visit – and is reborn every spring before the Board of Directors elections. government, which will take place on May 30th.
What was once a famous temple of culture has been in the doldrums for years, according to Arroyo: “It had become an irrelevant place in Spanish culture. It no longer had the wonderful presence of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was just a place for members, most of whom were elderly.” Monarchs, government presidents, artists, intellectuals and scientists of Einstein’s caliber held meetings in its rooms or Marie Curie’s lectures, but the glory decade of the 1980s, when the institution had nearly 7,000 members, has faded.
Aware of this situation, 200 personalities from the world of culture – including Joan Manuel Serrat, Rosa Montero, Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, Alicia Delibes or Fernando Garrigues – decided to become members of the private club in March 2021. They joined under the name Grupo 1820 under the Leadership composed by Arroyo himself. That year and the following, the new group won the elections to the board of directors with the idea of reviving the Ateneo. However, some partners do not share the approach of these less experienced members.
Arroyo would not call his opponents “old guard” — “about thirty people,” he says — but acknowledges that the institution is “very old.” “They saw the Ateneo as a place where they could come and lecture for themselves. They were the only ones going to the meetings and all of a sudden they saw 100, 200 new people showing up and got scared. “They feel like we’ve taken their place, but we haven’t,” the sociologist said over the phone. Since the takeover by Grupo 1820, membership has grown from 1,700 three years ago to 2,200 now. Arroyo is optimistic about the new elections: “We have an overwhelming majority.”
The Ateneo renews half of the eleven positions on the Board of Directors annually, six in one year and five in the next. In 2023, six and four contestants face off: Group 1820; convergence for democratic stability of the Ateneo, a classic group led by Miguel Pastrana, which presents itself as “the only way to avoid unilateralism” in the institution; For a free and independent Ateneo directed by Mayte Pedraza, bringing together the most critical opponents; and a single candidacy with Alfonso Vázquez.
Pedraza, a long-time member and the first woman at the institution to direct the Ateneo library – the second largest in Spain – says over the phone that “it’s not that she doesn’t like the changes,” but that “there are a lot of changes has given.” a very short time”. “I am not a supporter of compact groups that enforce electoral discipline. “We supporters do not want a battlefield and the president must be there for everyone, not for a single group,” he defended. Pastrana, on the other hand, points out that his group “has been sticking to the same idea for 13 years” and that it is not a “reactive group”: “They came.” [por el equipo de Luis Arroyo] very left Not all, but if they insist, we must dissolve them in the elections. There will be resistance.
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Vazquez, acting alone, goes further and accuses Arroyo of denying members access to accounts, not letting them speak, not answering questions and presenting a “fraudulent” proposal to renew the ordinance. , the amendment of which will also be voted on May 30 . “I defend the Ateneo, which was founded 203 years ago, open to society and not a private club for dark purposes, where you do what you want,” he criticizes.
The six candidates of Group 1820, led by President Luis Arroyo, are repeating this year with a candidacy “which represented a repugnance for the scholarly house and preserved the spirit of excellence and plurality that is the soul of our scientific, literary and artistic work”. . They announce it on their Instagram profile and call on all members to vote next Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
“They accuse us of commercialization of putting the Ateneo at the service of the interests of the PSOE and the Prisa Group.” [porque varios de los socios están vinculados a ambos]… So with everything. When Atresmedia does something [en el Ateneo], even. “In his mind, it’s a dark interest takeover of the institution,” Arroyo laments. The private club is financed in two ways: through membership fees, around 300 euros per year, which give them free access to the venue and its activities; and thanks to public grants from the Autonomous Community of Madrid, amounting to 150,000 euros per year, and the City Council of the capital, which amount to around 200,000 euros. The sociologist defends that since the Grupo was founded in 1820, “the house has more light”.
Pedraza, on the other hand, believes that the spaces “should be used for what they are,” like the library, which is “exclusively for learning.” “I’m more conservative, but that’s important for partners. I stand for culture, but not partisan. “I don’t want parties, I want freedom,” he says. The veteran member believes there is still time for mutual understanding, but pleads that “the essence of the Athenaeum must not be lost”. Vázquez, in turn, says they’ve been “running over” partners constantly for the last two years.
A new rule
Even the most critical partners, says Arroyo, accuse them of wanting to set up a “dictatorship”. He points to Grupo 1820’s initiative to reform the institution’s regulations: “It is vital to change it because it is one of the reasons for the demise of the Athenaeum.” wants to change his group, such as the monthly general meetings. “They lead to the exclusion of partners who are not willing to come to such a meeting every month,” he criticizes. In fact, the meetings have become the scene of accusations and arguments, some of which last more than four hours.
Then there is the choice. “The fact that the board is elected in two halves is outrageous, it doesn’t ensure stability,” says Arroyo. His team proposes changing the regulations so that elections take place every four years. Also that the mandates are limited or the figure of the partner’s defender is created. Last October they fell 24 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to renew the regulation, but this time they are hoping for enough support.
Mayte Pedraza opposes changing the ordinance. “Those of us who know the Ateneo live it in a way … It is unique and this regulation, this history must be preserved.” The member thinks four years of presidency is “excessive”: “The institution is the cradle of Temple of the Word.” If something works, why change it? I’m in favor of leaving the 19th century behind, but partners come first.” Pastrana also breaks a new norm and the main conflict with Arroyo ensues. “It has taken shape throughout history, but some pillars have been retained, such as the annual vote. Manual Azaña didn’t mind going to the polls every year. Why all the effort to change it now?” asks the partner.
The current regime is the one restored after the Franco regime in 1984 and the opposition group led by Pastrana believes that Arroyo’s intention is not to change it but to introduce a new one and that this poses a threat to representing the “historical regulations”. “Convergence is presented to keep a flame alive, to defend an idea: that the Ateneo is viable in its historical form”, defends the group in a kind of manifesto published two days ago was published on social networks. Arroyo emphasizes: “We want nothing more than to share the culture with the people. There is no other reason. Make the Ateneo shine again.”
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