Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
In the Middle Ages, Catalunya led the field in European art. Some of the world’s finest Romanesque and Gothic paintings and sculpture are collected in this stunning museum in the Palau Nacional. Most of the Romanesque murals were rescued from crumbling churches in the Pyrenees in the early 20th century and painstakingly reassembled here. MNAC displays more than a hundred pieces, accompanied by rare panel paintings and polychrome wood carvings.
During Spain’s Golden Age, Catalan art declined and there were no masters to rival Velázquez, El Greco, Zurbarán, and the sculptor Pedro de Mena, whose work here stands out among more mediocre offerings. But artistic glory returned with the wealth of the late 19th and early 20th century. The Modern galleries on the first floor have a comprehensive collection of Catalan Modernisme and Noucentisme, including wonderful Gaudí furniture and fittings from Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, and paintings by Catalan artists Marià Fortuny, Ramon Casas, and Joaquim Mir. Seek out Mir’s The Beggars Cathedral (1898), depicting a poor family huddled in front of the Sagrada Família, then in its early stages of construction.
The museum’s vast Neo-Baroque palace was built for the 1929 World’s Fair and extensively revamped for the 1992 Olympics. Your ticket is valid over two days, so you can take break from the art and ride the elevator to the decked roof for spectacular views of Barcelona and the Olympic Park.
In the Middle Ages, Catalunya led the field in European art. Some of the world’s finest Romanesque and Gothic paintings and sculpture are collected in this stunning museum in the Palau Nacional. Most of the Romanesque murals were rescued from crumbling churches in the Pyrenees in the early 20th century and painstakingly reassembled here. MNAC displays more than a hundred pieces, accompanied by rare panel paintings and polychrome wood carvings.
During Spain’s Golden Age, Catalan art declined and there were no masters to rival Velázquez, El Greco, Zurbarán, and the sculptor Pedro de Mena, whose work here stands out among more mediocre offerings. But artistic glory returned with the wealth of the late 19th and early 20th century. The Modern galleries on the first floor have a comprehensive collection of Catalan Modernisme and Noucentisme, including wonderful Gaudí furniture and fittings from Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, and paintings by Catalan artists Marià Fortuny, Ramon Casas, and Joaquim Mir. Seek out Mir’s The Beggars Cathedral (1898), depicting a poor family huddled in front of the Sagrada Família, then in its early stages of construction.
The museum’s vast Neo-Baroque palace was built for the 1929 World’s Fair and extensively revamped for the 1992 Olympics. Your ticket is valid over two days, so you can take break from the art and ride the elevator to the decked roof for spectacular views of Barcelona and the Olympic Park.
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
