Casa Mila – La Pedrera

The last apartment house built by Antoni Gaudi, the Casa-Mila is considered the epitome of Modernism with its impressive façade of undulating stone and iron balconies. Groups of more than 15 should book in advance. Guided tours are available in English and Spanish. There is an accompanying exhibition, Espai Gaudi.

Dali Theatre-Museum (Figueres)

The Dali Theatre-Museum is located in Figueres, around 75 miles from Barcelona.

The museum displays the single largest and most diverse collection of works by Salvador Dali, the core of which is the artist’s personal collection. It contains the broadest range of works spanning the artistic career from 1980-1989. In addition to Dali paintings from all decades of his career, there are Dali sculptures, 3-dimensional collages, mechanical devices and other curiosities from Dali’s imagination.

Salvador Dali body is interred at the museum, in a crypt below the stage.

Gaudi Museum

The Gaudi museum offers great opportunities to learn more about the life and work of visionary Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. The house was designed by Gaudi’s colleague Francese Berenguer, Gaudi did have a hand in designing the garden pergala and the beautiful furniture.

The museum preserves the memory of Gaudi’s revolutionary techniques through fine examples of furniture and other objects he designed. It also gives great insight into the craft production system of Catalonia during the Art Nouveau period giving an idea of how Gaudi worked. The Gaudi Museum is a great opportunity for students to see contemporary art in its home, giving them the chance to explore the house where Gaudi spent the last days of his life, from 1906 to 1925

Bookings are not required. Student groups cannot enter between 14h00 and 16h00.

Joan Miró Foundation

The Fundacio Joan Miro Foundation, founded in 1975 by Joan Miro himself, is located in the museum on the mountain Montjuic. The wide variety of techniques he used in his career are widely represented by the more than 14,000 exhibits on display. 217 paintings, 179 sculptures, a variety of prints and textiles and over 8,000 drawings, which provide an in-depth understanding of the creative process of the Catalan genius.

In addition to the works by Joan Miro, the foundation also has a small collection of contemporary art consisting of gifts and loans from leading artists.

Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA)

In 1986, the Barcelona City Council recommended the American architect Richard Meier Partners to design the museum. The permanent collection of around 5,000 works dates from the mid-20 th century onward. The three periods of modern art represented are the forties to the sixties, the sixties and seventies and the last are contemporary. The collections focus on post 1945 Catalan and Spanish art, and the museum also stages seasonal exhibitions, which can be viewed on the museums website.

This is a great experience for students to observe contemporary artwork in a beautiful building, with stunning views from Barcelona through the glass panels.

Museum of National Art of Catalunya

The MNAC contains the world’s most important collection of Romanesque art as well as the gothic art section and the Cambo collection. The collections date from the 10th and 20th century offering a complete exhibition encompassing all art disciplines (sculpture, painting, drawing, engraving, posters as well as photography and coin collections).

The museum aims to give a vision of art in Catalonia throughout history. The collection features works by artists such as El Greco, Zurbaran, Velazquez, Fortuny, Gaudi, Casas, Torres-Garcia, Dali, Julio Gonzalez and Picasso. The museum has plenty to offer students with beautiful collections offering great insight into ancient collections.

Parc Güell

This leafy park in the north of the city contains more examples of Gaudi’s work, namely a series of colonnades winding up the hill leading to a large central terrace projecting over a hall with a forest of distorted Doric columns. The park contains amazing stone structures, stunning tiling and fascinating buildings.

At the top of Güell park is a terraced area where you get a wonderful view of the park and of Barcelona City. The vibrant colours of the tiles are truly breathtaking.

Picasso Museum

The Picasso Museum in Barcelona reveals the genius of the young artist through more than 3,500 works that make up the permanent collection. The museum also reveals his relationship with Barcelona an intimate, solid relationship that was shaped in his adolescence and youth, continuing even after his death. This is a fantastic opportunity to see Picasso’s younger works of art and his early influences.

The Barcelona Pavilion

Mis van der Rohe built the German pavilion for the World Exhibition 1929. Following the exhibition the pavilion was deconstructed in 1930, and after various initiatives rebuilt at its original place between 1983 and 1986. The rebuild is a striking demonstrator of rationalist architecture and The Bauhaus style can clearly be recognised in the pavilion.

The innovative architectural structure of the rebuild represented a radical change in the layout of space, and has had great influence on the development of modern architecture. The pavilion houses the Barcelona Chair which Mies van der Rohe created exclusively for the space.