Barcelona Online | Art Galleries

Contemporary Art and Culture Centre
CaixaForum
The CaixaForum (Avda. Marqués de Comillas, 6-8), the cultural centre belonging to the Fundació "La Caixa", is housed in the Modernista Casa Ramona, the former textile factory designed by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch, with a new main entrance by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, 3,000 m2 of exhibition space, a 350-seat auditorium and an excellent mediateca.

The CaixaForum includes a selection of works from the Foundations Contemporary Art Collection as well as visiting exhibitions.

CaixaForum also runs courses and seminars and various other cultural events.

•We liked: The multimedia information on the building to be found on the website
•Languages: Spanish, Catalan

Contemporary, er... Culture Centre of Barcelona
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
The CCCB (Montalegre 5) opened in 1994 and puts on such things as exhibitions, music, dance, courses, debates, lectures.

CCCB, the site tells us, apart from meaning the Contemporary Culture Centre of Barcelona, also apparently stands for "Cities, Creation and Culture in Barcelona". Pity kitsch isn't spelt with a "c", too...

Come to think of it, isn't there a four-letter word that does start with "c" that describes it rather well...?

•We liked: We didn't – and particularly hated the site design
•Not so hot: A site that puts you off wanting to go to the center...? Something's gone wrong somewhere!
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Great museum, shame about the site
Picasso Museum, Barcelona
The hugely expanded Picasso Museum (Montcada 15-23) now occupies five Gothic palaces in the heart of Barcelona's old city.

The site itself, however, is a pretty duff experience all round. From the default Catalan version choose "La Col.lecció" if you want to see any of Picasso's work… But, I ask you – what would Picasso have made of the Internet? Surely something a great deal more interesting than this site!

Certainly one of Barcelona's (many) must-visit attractions, but the site itself is definitely not among our top Barcelona sites.

•We liked: The real thing?
•Not so hot: A half page summary (only) in English, we can accept but not to get the opening times in English, even on that page, is just plain sloppy
•Languages: English and Spanish (summary only), Catalan (full site)

Contemporary Art Museum Barcelona
MACBA
Not to be confused with the MNAC (see below), the similarly named MACBA (Plaça dels Àngels, 1), Barcelona's new Contemporary Art Museum, opened in 1995, is five minutes' walk from the Plaza Catalunya in the city centre.

Look, I'll be honest about this: I'd rather spend Saturday afternoon watching second division soccer on the telly than go to a modern art museum. And I'm sorry to say that visiting this site did nothing to change my mind (start reading the dire texts and I think you'll see what I mean). However, the MACBA is worth going to – so don't let its duff website put you off.

Get me another beer, would you, honey?

•We liked: Hospitalet 4, Barcelona B 3
•Not so hot: A website that puts you off going to the real thing
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Fundación Joan Miró
Miró Foundation
Opened in 1975, the Joan Miró (1893-1983) foundation is one of Barcelona's major art galleries. Not everyone's cup of tea (doesn't it rather put you off your tea that one of his major "wild paintings" is entitled "Man and Woman in front of a Pile of Excrement"?) but, whether he is or not, Miró – like Gaudí – is pretty much in your face all the time you are here in Barcelona, and not just in the souvenir shops. There's a huge mural outside Terminal B at the airport, a huge mosaic you've just trodden on as you walk down the Ramblas and a Miró-designed logo at every branch of Barcelona’s biggest bank, La Caixa.

The site contains information on the building itself (attractive if you happen to like modern architecture), a Miró biography, and a section on the actual work.

Take the tourist bus to Montjuich if you want to actually visit the Miró Foundation, it stops right outside.

•We liked: The general site design and the fact that you can actual see some of the work
•Not so hot: Nice idea, but we don't think the multimedia sections really come off (or function properly)
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

One of our top ten Barcelona sites
National Art Museum of Catalonia
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) or Catalan National Art Museum is housed in the magnificent palace (picture, right) overlooking the fountains of Montjuich and (a 15 minute walk away) the Plaza España. To be found there are the 11th to 18th century Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque collections. The 19th and 20th century collections are in the Museu d'Art Modern del MNAC (the MNAC's Modern Museum), in the Ciutadella Park.

The site does what you would expect any museum site to do, ie. give you enough of a taste to want to visit the real thing. While regrettably that is not the case with many of Barcelona's museum sites, happily the MNAC brings it off superbly.

The museum says it houses "The complete history of Catalan art"; the site makes you want to go and see it. All round, one of our top Barcelona sites.

•We liked: The neat, clean design... and the cut price tickets if you visit "6 Musuems 6" (sorry, I think that's bullfighting parlance)
•Not so hot: Can't I hire a golf cart to take me round the place?
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Fundació Tàpies
Tàpies Foundation
The Fundació Tàpies (Aragó 255), centrally located in a superb modernista house by Doménech i Montaner, houses the best collection of the work of the internationally renowned Catalan painter Antoni Tàpies as well as exhibitions of modern and art from around the world (look for "activities", then "list of activities" to see what's currently on).

As is the case with many of Barcelona's museums and art galleries, the Fundació Tàpies is well worth your time visiting if you are a culture vulture but the website itself is a disappointment. Extensive Tàpies chronology but not a lot else.

•We liked: Not having to pay full price entrance with our Articket
•Not so hot: Er... I'm interested in Tàpies, can I see some of his work online...? (No).
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

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