Museo Sa Bassa Blanca: Where Art Meets Nature

This is not the kind of place you simply pass on your way to somewhere else. In fact, the road gets narrower with every kilometer. Past Alcúdia, past the last roundabout, the asphalt eventually gives way to a dirt track winding through pine forest toward the wilder edge of the Victoria peninsula. Then a small sign appears. And another. A gate opens. Suddenly, the forest gives way to something that feels almost surreal. An avenue of palm trees, a giant hippo beneath the pines, a rhino frozen mid-stride. Farther ahead, a huge octopus seems to have crawled out of the sea and settled on the lawn. You have arrived at Museo Sa Bassa Blanca (MSBB), one of Mallorca’s most intriguing hidden corners.

Entering a Magic Place

A granite dove, symbol of peace, greets the visitors in front of the bright white building with the pointed pinnacles. The heart of MSBB designed by Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy resembles a palace of a Thousand And One Nights story. And in an instant, you feel transported to a world far removed from the rest of the island.

Hidden Figures

Beyond the front yard, more statues appear between the trees. An elephant, a camel. A group of rams. All of a sudden, a gleaming rocket, ready to launch. And then the giant Kraken as if just landed on earth out of a sci-fi movie.

While children run from one sculpture to the next adults pause to take in the details.The sculptures were created by the museum’s founders Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu. The artists often draw on archaeological objects and ancient cultures encountered in museums around the world. But you’ll also come across contemporary figures such as Barbie and Ken, depicted as gilded idols.

Trunks Sculptured by Centuries

A grove of ancient olive trees, which has recently replaced a former rose garden, is yet another quiet expression of the founder’s fascination with nature, time and sustainability. Along the way benches appear exactly where you want them. A block of white stone beneath a tree. A shaded seat under a carob. The garden rewards you for slowing down.

Into the Underground

Before you return toward the Hassan Fathy Building, head underground. The entrance to Sala Sokrates feels almost theatrical. A staircase leads down into a subterranean gallery, and suddenly you are inside a modern-day Wunderkammer, a cabinet of curiosities where objects from five continents meet in unexpected ways.

In the playfully eclectic collection, a fossilized rhinoceros skeleton stands near a curtain made from 10,000 Swarovski crystals. Nearby, a fuel tank salvaged from a military aircraft echoes the shape of a sculpture by Chinese artist Shi Yong, whose work explores consumerism and speed.

An Artist’s Home That Never Stopped Evolving

A day at MSBB is more than just a museum visit, it’s an intimate journey through art, architecture, cultures, and the life story of Ben Jakober and Yannick Vu. And because this place has never quite lost its private, lived-in character, Sa Bassa Blanca does not feel finished. It feels alive.

A Famous Patron of Museo Sa Bassa Blanca

One of MSBB’s regulars is Hollywood actor Michael Douglas, who has owned a home in S’Estaca on Mallorca’s northwest coast for more than three decades. Douglas is a longtime friend of Jakober and Vu and now serves as the museum’s honorary patron. This year, he shared a video with his followers praising the “incredible and fabulous“ museum. That said, Sa Bassa Blanca is still wonderfully under the radar.

Café La Paloma

Before you leave, take some time for one last stop. Café La Paloma is situated in the courtyard right by the entrance and has a shaded terrace lined with mirrors. The kitchen uses organic produce from the museum’s own vegetable garden, and the menu changes with the seasons. A good place to wind down after your visit.

Planning Your Visit

Museo Sa Bassa Blanca is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., closed on Sundays, Mondays and holidays. Tickets are available online on the museum’s website.