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collector, photographer and traveller.The facade rises in steps to a point, studded
with coloured ceramic decoration and with heraldic sculptures over the doors
and windows. Inside the hallway, the ceramic tiles continue along the walls,
while twisted stone columns are interspersed by dragon lamps, all of which are
further illuminated by fine stained-glass doors and an interior glass roof.There
are
guided tours
of the house (Mon–Fri at 11am, noon, 5pm & 6pm, plus Sun
at noon; €8; reservations at the house or call
T
934 877 217,
W
www.amatller
.org), which include a visit to Amatller’s photographic studio and chocolate-
tasting in the original kitchen.Temporary exhibitions at the house are usually
worth a look, too, with some based on the collections amassed by Amatller or
by his daughter, who established the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art here in
1941. The Institute promotes research into the history of Hispanic art, and
maintains a photo library and archive in the house.
Casa Batlló
Perhaps the most extraordinary creation on the Block of Discord is Antoni
Gaudí’s
Casa Batlló
at Pg. de Gràcia 43 (daily 9am–8pm, access occasionally
restricted due to private events; €16.50;
T
932 160 306,
W
www.casabatllo.cat;
advance sales also from TelEntrada,
T
902 101 212,
W
www.telentrada.com),
designed for the industrialist Josep Batlló.The original apartment building was
considered dull by contemporaries, so Gaudí was hired to give it a face-lift,
completing the work by 1907. He contrived to create an undulating facade that
Dalí later compared to “the tranquil waters of a lake”.There’s an animal motif
at work here, too: the stone facade hangs in folds, like skin, and from below, the
twisted balcony railings resemble malevolent eyes.The higher part of the facade
is less abstruse and more decorative, pockmarked with circular ceramic buttons
laid on a bright mosaic background and finished with a little tower topped with
a three-dimensional cross. The sinuous interior, meanwhile, resembles the
insides of some great organism, complete with snakeskin-patterned walls and
window frames, fireplaces, doorways and staircases that display not a straight line
between them.
Self-guided audio tours
show you the main floor (including the salon
overlooking Passeig de Gràcia), the patio and rear facade, the ribbed attic and the
celebrated mosaic rooftop chimneys. It’s best to reserve a ticket in advance (by
phone or in person) as this is a very popular attraction – the scrum of aimless
visitors, audio-stick glued to their ears, can be a frustrating business at peak times.
Fundació Antoni Tàpies
Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s first important building, the
Casa Montaner i
Simon
, c/Aragó 255, was finished in 1880. This was one of the earliest of all
modernista
projects in Barcelona: like Gaudí after him, the architect incorporated
Moorish-style flourishes into his iron-framed work, which consists of two
floors, supported by cast-iron columns and with no dividing walls.The building
originally served the publishing firm of Montaner i Simon, but, as the enormous
aluminium tubular structure on the roof announces, it was converted in 1990
to house the
Fundació Antoni Tàpies
(Tues–Sun 10am–8pm; €6;
T
934 870
315,
W
www.fundaciotapies.org;o
Passeig de Gràcia).
It’s a beautiful building dedicated to all aspects of the life and work of
Catalunya’s most eminent postwar artist.Tàpies’ work rather divides opinion. It’s
not immediately accessible (in the way of, say, Miró) and you’re either going to
love or hate the gallery. Temporary exhibitions here focus on selections of
THE EIXAMPLE
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Dreta de l’Eixample