Because there is so much more to see than architecture and the well-known Sagrada Familia by Gaudi in Barcelona: It’s about time to share our favorite galleries and museums with you.
WHO LOVES PICASSO?
Seriously, who doesn’t. The Picasso Museum itself is nothing new, but it is worth a visit precisely now. Because in the past four years, the collection of the Picasso Museum has been completely reinstalled with new acquisitions and many documentary photographs showing the artist at work. And good news for those of you who are always in a hurry – like me: The museum introduced selling online tickets. So queuing for hours around the block of the building is a thing of the past.
TAPIÈS FOUNDATION
Shortly after the painter Antoni Tàpies—whose amazing compositions feature ripped, stitched and knotted canvas—died in 2012, his Galeria Toni Tàpies started to show works by other artists, completely devoted to 20th-century paintings. The Tàpies Foundation, created by the artist in 1984 is located in a very impressive building that was once a publishing house. The foundation showcases a selection of his works in addition to other, smaller contemporary art exhibitions. Even though it’s now closed for maintenance work, it’s always worth a visit and you can make a personal appointment beforehand.
THE DESIGN MUSEUM OF BARCELONA
New to the scene is the Design Museum of Barcelona, which opened three years ago and is located near the city’s largest flea market and the famous “Torre Agbar” by Jean Nouvel. At “Museu del Disseny”, that’s the name in Catalan, you’ll find design collections which show how design has affected humanity from ancient times to 2018.
IN SEARCH FOR SOME UPCOMING ARTISTS?
A hip and artistic movement has developed on Carrer de Trafalgar close to the Palau de la Musica Catalana. It hosts concerts almost every day and is one of the city’s architectural must-see-places. Fun fact: The architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner was Gaudí’s teacher. You might know the streets behind it because of their cheap Chinese clothing wholesalers or empty storefronts but this changed when Galeria Senda—which shows everyone from Robert Mapplethorpe to evolving Spanish talents such as Anna Malagrida—migrated to spacious new places in the district.
AND DON’T FORGET THE SMALL MUSEUMS!
In Barcelona it’s also always worth checking out the smaller museums, too. You’ll find most of them located in the area between Montjuic, the Miró Foundation and Plaza de España. My favorite is the vast arts center, Caixa-Forum Barcelona, which is located in a former brewery. Nearby you’ll find a reconstruction of German architect Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion, which was originally designed by the architect for Barcelona’s International Exhibition in 1929.
It was recreated in 1983 on the same site and can be visited here. You can also see van der Rohe’s famous “Barcelona” chair , which was specifically designed for the pavilion and is a celebrated interior piece until today.
You like what you read? Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more travel & design stories.