What is the Museu del Modernisme
Opened in March 2010, the Museum of Modernism of Barcelona (MMBCN) is the first museum entirely dedicated to the Catalan modernist period. The MMBCN headquarters is located in the center of the Eixample, in a modernist-style building designed in the early 300th century by the architect Enric Sagnier, perhaps the most prolific of the time with over XNUMX buildings designed. The restaurant was initially used as a distribution warehouse by the textile company Fabra y Coats, and was subsequently renovated to house the collection. The building, with its façade, represents an ideal place to exhibit the various art objects that originally decorated the interiors of the most emblematic modernist houses: these are essential evidence for understanding one of the most important historical periods for the artistic development of Barcelona.
The collection of the Museu del Modernisme
To know the origins of the collection, one must go back to the 1970s, when the antique dealers Fernando Pines e Maria guirao they began their activity with the Gothsland art gallery, specializing in modernism, and collecting a large amount of objects of considerable historical and artistic value. Their intention to show these works to the public is behind the creation of the current museum collection.
With an extension of approx Twentyfour sq.m., the MMBCN houses an important permanent collection, allowing the visitor to appreciate modernism under different aspects: furniture, painting, sculpture and decorative arts, a series of works that reflect the changes that occurred in Barcelona at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries , not only from the artistic point of view, but also in the social and intellectual aspects. Modernists are concerned with introducing new techniques, as well as seeking new materials, colors, shapes and elements inspired by nature, the indisputable protagonist of modernist architecture.
The room dedicated to Antoni GaudĂ is an excellent representation of the vast work of the brilliant Catalan architect, with furniture that perfectly combines functionality with decoration: chairs, columns, writers, up to wrought iron coat hangers, all objects from some of his main projects, such as the Palau GĂĽell, Casa Calvet or Casa BatllĂł.
In the space dedicated to painting, sculpture and decorative arts, a wide selection of artists of the time is shown, including Ramon Casas, Josep and Joan Llimona o Antoni Utrillo, able to offer a complete vision of the modernist period, with a great variety of themes addressed: from everyday scenes of Catalonia to mythological or historical themes.
The museum also occasionally organizes a section dedicated to temporary exhibitions, currently, and until May 8, 2016, the exhibition Portrait of Barcelona, ​​Evolution of a city, an exhibition of the museum's photographic collection exhibited together with a short documentary on the social and cultural life of Barcelona of the past century.
Useful Information
Allow about an hour to visit the Museum. Free guided tours are available on the first Sunday of the month.
How to reach us
The MMBCN is located at Carrer Balmes, 48, in the Eixample district. The closest metro stations, about 500 meters away, are those of Passeig de Grà cia (lines 2, 3 and 4), and that of Universitat (lines 1 and 2). The museum can also be reached from Plaça de Catalunya, which is about 600 meters away.
Working Time
The MMBCN opens from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:30 to 19:00. On Sundays and holidays the closing is anticipated to 14:00. The museum is closed on Mondays, it also closes on January 1st and 6th, May 1st, December 25th and 26th.
tickets
Buy from the official website
General admission costs € 10, while the reduced one costs € 7. To take advantage of the reduced rate you must be over 65 years old, under 25 years old, or have the Ruta del modernisme Card. Children between 6 and 16 years pay 5 €, while for children under 6 years the entrance it's free. Holders of the Barcelona Card are entitled to free admission.
