Art in Barcelona

Museum housing the major collection of the works of the late, great Abstract Expressionist Antoni Tapies. Catalan artist Tapies, born in 1923, was a prominent figure in the art world, known for his innovative approach and exploration of materials, and his fascination with symbolism. He was associated with the Art Informel movement and was known for his abstract, textured paintings that incorporated everyday objects.

The foundation houses an extensive collection of his artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and prints. and its all housed in a stunning Modernista building.

Immaculately white and full of light, MACBA, as it’s known, champions cutting-edge international and Catalan contemporary art, dating from the mid 20th century onwards.

The museum aims to preserve a record of post-war art, with three modern periods represented: the 1940s-60s, 1960s-70s and the contemporary period.

Designed by the American architect Richard Meier, MACBA is a powerful symbol of the changes in Raval, a neighbourhood that was once an insalubrious slum – it even has skateboard-friendly ramps.

A magnificent, red-brick Modernista factory now converted into a superb Catalan cultural centre, with edgy permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Check out Barcelona’s current modern art scene in this strikingly renovated factory building, featuring works produced in the last 50 years.

Covering Catalan art over a thousand-year period, this museum features an especially rich collection of Romanesque art, including a unique series of tenth-and 11th-century frescoes detached from Pyrenean chapels. The Gothic and Modernista sections are nearly as rich, and there are plenty of Grand Masters in between.

Set in the waterfront MAPFRE skyscraper, this gallery has brilliant, ever-changing exhibitions by world-famous photographers.

One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Barcelona native Joan Miro commissioned his good friend Josep Lluis Sert to design a museum for contemporary art bathed in natural light.

Inside (and out on the terraces, overlooking Barcelona) are Miro’s own playful, surreal, brilliantly colourful paintings, sculptures and textiles, as well as works by other major artists (notably Alexander Calder’s Mercury Fountain).

The Foundation also hosts some of the city’s top temporary exhibitions.

A second outpost of the excellent Amsterdam Moco. These privately-owned museums specialise in contemporary art and exhibitions from famous artists such as Banksy, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Salvador Dali. The museums aim to make modern art accessible to a wider audience, featuring works that are often controversial and thought-provoking.

Barcelona holds significance in Picasso’s life as it was where he spent his formative years and received his artistic education. Although he never returned to Spain after the Civil War, he wanted Barcelona to have works he had created there as a young man.

In 1963, this museum opened in a restored Gothic palace on Barcelona’s medieval millionaires’ row, which had degenerated into a slum, leading the way for a revival of the now hyper-trendy Born District. Donations over the decades have added to the collection, including Picasso’s 58 paintings inspired by Velazquez’s Las Meninas.