He was born on November 25, at the age of eight months. If he had lasted the required nine months, he would have been born on Christmas Day. Life only gave him sons, but if he had had a daughter, he would have named her Belén. To compensate, it has 4,000 daycare centers around the world. Antonio Basanta, owner – with his wife – of the largest collection in Madrid and one of the largest in Spain and on the planet. The third surname, Reyes, “although he is not a mage”, as he himself jokes, assures that all these coincidences between his life and the nursery are more fate than chance.
Three of his nativity scenes are now on display and open to the public. A Sicilian in Retiro, a Neapolitan in Arganzuela and an exhibition of works from five continents in Hortaleza. From Arganzuela, located in the Clock House of Matadero, Basanta answers the question that comes to everyone’s mind when knowing the number of births in its possession. “I keep them in a warehouse where I reserve the location. for obvious reasons. At first we had them in the basement of our house, which we had intentionally enlarged. But there came a time when they could no longer come in and we had to look for a bigger, more air-conditioned place,” he explains.
His hobby was simmered from his childhood, with a nativity scene purchased piecemeal in a “china shop”. To this day, it’s still his favorite. “People are surprised because it’s horrible compared to the wonders we have. There are wire figures, each one different, but for me it’s the most special,” he insists. His collection of nativity scenes from around the world, which he brings together with his wife, María Ángeles Martín, It started in the 1970s, but accelerated in the 1990s.when they realized that their activity went beyond a simple hobby and began to dominate what became their best ally: the Internet.
A trip to Guatemala and twelve years of waiting for the Chinese nativity scene
Since then, they have been ordering and searching for cribs and spare parts from all over the world. Caribbean, Chile, China… The crèches from the latter country were the most difficult to obtain: “We ordered them in the 2000s and they arrived in 2012 because The craftsman was imprisoned several times during the process. Of course, it’s forbidden to create Christian symbols there,” she says. Like this, she has a thousand other anecdotes. Like when they went to the village of Cochas Latas in Guatemala where Margarita García bakes figurines in her oven. “She didn’t want to hear the words ‘buy’ or ‘sell.’ But when I saw a set, I fell in love and he said “then take it”. “We left him generous money to accommodate us, but not for Bethlehem.”
Currently, they have 30,000 nativity figures from 158 countries… “And growing.” The last one he received came from Malawi, took two years to make and caught his attention because it was made of rubber wood. After so many years, what a nursery must have to attract your attention is a special material. “Seven years ago, I received a copper set from Chile and fell in love with it.“, he emphasizes. After the hustle and bustle, comes the negotiation and the purchasing power available at that moment. “The most expensive thing is not the part, it’s bringing it. The part from Malawi costs 378 dollars and it costs me 2,800 euros to transport it. But I never lost one along the way and no craftsman failed me. »
His favorite place in Bethlehem: the river… and the washerwoman
When it comes to her favorite part of giving birth, Basanta answers with certainty: the river. “What I liked best was keeping the plates of chocolate all year round to make the river. Without a river, there is no Bethlehem. And without the washerwoman either. In a nursery, the river is life and the washerwoman comes to this river, who not only goes to wash the clothes. She is the representative of the community and cleans up problems, clashes, conflicts…”, he explains. What a crèche should always have for him is the woman and the child, beyond that it denies the norms. “In a birth there is room for everything, humor, evil, satire… Until caganer they make sense. When Christ is born, a new cycle of life and nature begins. And how does nature bring life back to life? I pay for it,” replies the collector.
Three crèches installed in the Basanta house
When asked what the crèches he installs in his house look like, he replies that they usually have three. The main one is that of her grandchildren: “It is changeable, because every day they come, it changes. We see that Herod is already inside the portal… Then we display a piece from the collection, which is generally the most recent, to enjoy, and then others that have sentimental value. For example, when my mother-in-law passed away, we put the one she had in her house. Concerning the possible disappearance of the tradition over the years, Basanta is optimistic and assures that at least in Madrid, “there are more than ever”. “The nursery had a difficult time in the 1980s, but it has bounced back. Families are interested in it and they enjoy setting it up.”
Behind the collection is a team of conservators who carefully examine each piece once it has been collected from exhibitions. These tasks imply that the nursery extends all year round in the Basanta-Martín collection and intensifies from May. “It’s the only way to maintain the collection, to sew the clothes or to repair elements. For example, in this Belén – that of Arganzuela – the most dangerous things are the earrings. Here there are 56 different types,” he explains. However, Basanta doubts, even if he wishes, the viability of having a permanent exhibition in Madrid, a proposal that Vox made during the Cibeles plenary session in November. “At Christmas, you always have to display them because it is inseparable from the nativity scene. But a permanent space is a complex project, I don’t know if Madrid has a space with the necessary characteristics,” he emphasizes.
For now, he hopes to continue exhibiting every Christmas with the collaboration of the Town Hall because it is what “gives meaning to his hobby”, which This means “a lot of spending without profit”. “Here, there is financial compensation which covers the costs of transport, assembly, restoration and, obviously, the manufacturing of the signage, but I have no benefit from it. My benefit is to meet people and see how much people like it,” he concludes. For this, in all its exhibitions there is a book so that people can leave their impressions. In Arganzuela’s, we read thanks, compliments to the Neapolitan and numerous “Merry Christmas” wishes.
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