Catalonia - Art and Culture 2018

Geniuses: Picasso, Miró, Dalí, Tàpies

Art spaces have become new centres of pilgrimage. Who wants to see a masterpiece? Museums and galleries

Extravagant moustaches, painted dreams, surreal scenery: Welcome to a land of geniuses.

© imagen m.a.s.

© imagen m.a.s.

In Els Quatre Gats, the place where the 19th- century artists of Barcelona gathered, a young- ster of 17 listens to them, spellbound. This young man is Pablo Picasso . Born in Málaga, he arrived in 1895 to study art in this bohemian Barcelona that left an indelible mark on him. The city had such an impact on him, that once he was a renowned painter, he wanted to cre- ate the Picasso Museum in the city. In Paris, in 1926, Picasso met Salvador Dalí . The surrealist artist had been born in Figueres,

where his Theatre-Museum is today, not far from Cadaqués (Costa Brava). In 1949, he be- gan building a house in this seaside village that was just as eccentric as his artwork. Visiting it helps one to understand this genius who has gone down in history as the author of El gran masturbador , and who also dabbled in sculp- ture, writing, and even cinema. It was Joan Miró who, in Paris, put Dalí in contact with the Surrealists. In Mont-roig del Camp (Costa Daurada) Miró was inspired to cre- ate La Masia , and this town therefore has a Miró Centre. His main works can be seen at the Miró Foundation in Barcelona. They can also be seen on the streets of the Catalan capital: from ce- ramic paving on the Rambla (El Pla de l’Os) to his sculpture Dona i Ocell (Woman and Bird). Miró maintained a relationship of mutual ad- miration with Antoni Tàpies , an artist with his own 20th century avant-garde style. His work can be seen at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies (Bar- celona), a modernista building which is topped by a monumental work by Tàpies Núvol i cadira (Cloud and chair).

The more than 300 museums of Catalonia are places of identity, cohesion, and progress. They bring together roots and current reality. They are a good calling card for the country for the mil- lions of tourists who visit it. They provide unique experiences and share an appreciation for re- markable creations, traditions, and collections which provide visitors with knowledge and en- joyment of the pieces they safeguard. Museums on the map An hour away from Barcelona, Vic (Paisatges Barcelona) hides a small marvel: the Episcopal Museum ( www.museuepiscopalvic.com ) , which has outstanding samples of Romanesque sculpture and painting, as well as works ranging from an- cient Egypt to the 18th century. On the Costa Brava, the Girona Art Museum (museuart.com) maintains one of the best collec- tions of Romanesque and Gothic art in Catalo- nia, with important pieces such as the portable altar from the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. The Catalan Museum of Science and Tech- nology , (mnactec.cat) has a mission to promote

THE FUNDACIÓ MIRÓ, in barcelona, building by the architect josep lluís sert.

MEETING ‘CARMELA’ The Catalonia’s artistic attractions are comple- mented by a multitude of private art foundations and centres devoted to contemporary creation: from the Fundació Sorigué in Lleida, which typically partners with the Sónar Festival, to the Fundació Vila Casas, the Fundació Suñol, and the Fundació Gaspar, in Barcelona. The Catalan capital is also full of galleries. It is worth strolling down calle de Consell de Cent or through the Born district to discover them. On the stone benches of the paseo del Born, pay attention to the sculptures of a renowned contemporary artist, Jaume Plensa. The sculptor also left the city a monumental bust 4.5 metres high called Carmela , by the Palau de la Música.

dalí THEATRE- MUSEUM, in figueres, and sculpture on the facade of the museu tàpies, in barcelona.

4.251 WORKS BY Picasso are preserved in the PICASSO

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For more information jaumeplensa.com

MUSEUM in Barcelona

© lluís carro

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