Richard H. Driehaus Medal
2026
The Foundation was established in 2012 by the Valencian entrepreneur and patron of the arts Hortensia Herrero, for the purpose of contributing to her region’s cultural development through three main lines of action: preservation of heritage, promotion of contemporary art, and support for dance. From the outset, the restoration of monumental ensembles was at the heart of its activity, prompted by its founder’s personal interest in preserving historic buildings which, despite their importance to Valencia’s history and identity, are jeopardized by decay or a lack of resources for their upkeep. Hortensia herself has participated in the choice and development of projects, which the Foundation carries out in partnership with the institutions that own the buildings concerned, the various tiers of government, and specialist teams of architects, restorers, and craftspeople.
Among the first major restorations conducted by the Foundation was that of the Church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir, refurbishing its extraordinary Baroque decoration and particularly the murals adorning its vaults, as well as broadly reinstating the ensemble’s artistic and architectural opulence. The Foundation also promoted the rehabilitation of Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda (the Silk Art Institute), former headquarters of the silk weavers’ guild, whose refurbishment resulted in a run-down building being turned into today’s Silk Museum, which preserves and disseminates the memory of one of the most significant industries in Valencian history.
Another of the Foundation’s most notable projects has been the reconstruction of the Palace of Valeriola, which had been crumbling into decay and which now, following a thorough restoration, has become the Hortensia Herrero Art Center, inaugurated in 2023. The intervention made architectural preservation compatible with the needs of a contemporary cultural venue. More recently, the Foundation has promoted a comprehensive restoration of the church known as Santos Juanes, one of the outstanding historic buildings in Valencia’s old town. The work, completed in 2025, reinstated much of the church’s Baroque decoration, severely damaged by a fire in 1936 and by subsequent deterioration.
The Hortensia Herrero Foundation’s activity in this sphere will soon be extending beyond the city of Valencia, following the signing in 2026 of an agreement with the City Council of Alicante for the restoration of the west wall of the Castle of Santa Bárbara. This project will allow a stretch of medieval fortification to be reconstituted while returning to public use a circuit that has been closed for decades.
In the course of these projects, the Foundation has developed a model of intervention based on respect for the historical and architectural values of buildings along with the need to ensure future preservation through uses compatible with their heritage character. For this reason the choice of projects allows not just for the significance of the property to be restored but also for whether there is a viable roadmap for ensuring its upkeep and social utility once refurbished.
Another aspect of this work, material to the award of the Medal, has been the prominent role taken in these projects by specialized heritage restoration professionals and masters of traditional building trades. The restorations promoted by the Foundation have involved contributions by experts in mural painting, sculpture, carpentry, stained glass, coatings, and various other building techniques. Many of these trades today have few practitioners and the knowledge they possess requires stimuli such as these in order to be conserved. The Foundation has for this reason sought to establish ongoing relationships with such professionals, aware that their knowledge is in itself essential cultural heritage as well as being indispensable to the suitable preservation of built heritage.
The track record of the Hortensia Herrero Foundation is a notable example of the contribution of private patronage to heritage preservation and the importance of partnerships between owners, public and private institutions, and specialist practitioners. Its endeavor has restored buildings and artistic ensembles of great value which in most cases were gravely endangered, returning them to their rightful prominence in Valencia’s cultural and social life.
