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which are the exhibition halls, fashioned within the former factory buildings.
The external structure has been left untouched, so original girders, pillars and
stanchions, factory brickwork and crenellated walls appear at every turn – look
for the sign to the “terrats” where you can ascend to the undulating roof for
unique views. The Casamarona tower, etched in blue and yellow tiling, rises
high above the walls, as readily recognizable as the huge Miró starfish logos
emblazoned across the building.
The centre houses the foundation’s celebrated
contemporary art collec-
tion
, focusing on the period from the 1980s to the present, with hundreds of
artists represented, from Antoni Abad to RachelWhiteread.Works are shown in
partial rotation, along with an excellent free programme of changing
exhibi-
tions
across all aspects of the arts – recent exhibitions have highlighted subjects
as diverse as Etruscan funerary sculpture and the films of Charlie Chaplin.
There’s also a library and resource centre, the Mediateca multimedia space,
regular children’s activities and a 400-seat auditorium with a full calendar of
music, art, poetry and literary events.The
café
is worth knowing about, too – an
airy converted space within the old factory walls, serving breakfast, sandwiches,
snacks and lunch.
Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
Immediately across Avinguda del Marquès de Comillas from Caixa Forum, set
back from the road, is the 1986 reconstruction by Catalan architects of the
Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
(daily 10am–8pm; guided visits Wed & Fri
5–7pm; €4;
T
934 234 016,
W
www.miesbcn.com), which recalls part of the
German contribution to the 1929 Exhibition. Originally designed by Mies van
der Rohe and used as a reception room during the Exhibition, it’s considered
a major example of modern rationalist architecture.The pavilion has a startlingly
beautiful conjunction of hard straight lines with watery surfaces, its dark-green
polished onyx alternating with shining glass. It’s open to visitors but unless
there’s an exhibition in place (a fairly regular occurrence), there is nothing to
see inside save Mies van der Rohe’s iconic tubular steel
Barcelona Chair
, though
you can buy postcards and books from the small shop and debate quite how
much you want a Mies mousepad or a “Less is More”T-shirt.
Poble Espanyol
A five-minute walk up Avinguda del Marquès de Comillas brings you to the
Poble Espanyol
, or Spanish Village (Mon 9am–8pm, Tues–Thurs 9am–2am,
Fri 9am–4am, Sat 9am–5am, Sun 9am–midnight; €8, night ticket €5, combined
ticket with MNAC €12;
T
935 086 300,
W
www.poble-espanyol.com). This
was an inspired concept for the International Exhibition of 1929 – a complete
village consisting of streets and squares with reconstructions of famous or
characteristic buildings from all over Spain, such as the fairy-tale medieval walls
of Ávila through which you enter. “Get to know Spain in one hour” is what’s
promised and it’s nowhere near as cheesy as you might think. It works well as
a crash-course introduction to Spanish architecture – everything is well
labelled and at least reasonably accurate.The echoing main square is lined with
cafés, while the surrounding streets, alleys and buildings contain around forty
workshops (daily 10am–6/8pm, depending on season), where you can see
MONTJUÏC
|
Poble Espanyol