Barcelona Insider

People staying in Barcelona over the coming months will have the opportunity to visit an exhibition celebrating the genius of Antoni Gaudi.

Museo Diocesano de Barcelona

The show was launched to mark the centenary of Gaudi’s Colonia Guell crypt.

It will be open at the Museu Diocesa on Avinguda Catedral in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district until January 31st 2010.

Visitors will have the chance to see a selection of 100 items that relate to research on Gaudi’s work conducted by the glazier Pere Canovas, the archaeologist Manuel Medarde and the architect Roger Moras.

The items, which have never been shown in public before, are displayed alongside Gaudi’s drawing case.

Another highlight of the exhibition is a file of sketches that Salvador Dali dedicated to the Catalan architect, which were delivered to Gaudi personally when Dali visited the crypt.

Gaudi played a major part in the development of modern Barcelona and the creation of its aesthetic appeal, designing buildings such as Casa Batllo, Casa Mila and parts of the Sagrada Familia.

People planning stays in Barcelona this month will have the chance to expand their knowledge and appreciation of modern art at the CaixaForum.

An exhibition of modern art will be open at the CaixaForum until September 27th.

Until September 27th, the cultural institute will present a selection of pieces from its art collection, all gathered together under the title of Figurations.

The showcase features work by highly influential artists including Anselm Kiefer, Julian Schnabel and Georg Baselitz and aims to highlight the expressive and symbolic potential of painting.

Work by more than a dozen people features in the show, which focuses on a period in the early 1980s, when some artists were reacting to the popularity of abstract and conceptual work by creating more figurative and expressive pieces.

The CaixaForum is located on Avinguda Marques de Comillas in the Sants-Montjuic district of Barcelona.

People who are more interested in classical art can visit the Museu Frederic Mares before September 27th to see a display of work by the sculptor Antoni Sola.

Visitors to Barcelona planning to expand their cultural horizons this year will be able to achieve their ambition at the Museu Frederic Mares.

Neo-classical sculpture on show at Museu Frederic Mares

Until September 27th, the museum will host an exhibition dedicated to Antoni Sola, one of Spain’s greatest neo-classical sculptors.

Born in 1780, Sola moved to Rome in 1803 and eventually became one of only two foreigners ever to hold the post of president at the Accademia di San Luca.

He achieved most of his fame and success in the Italian capital and was a significant supporter of the city’s neo-classical art movement, which was associated with themes such as idealised beauty.

Travellers visiting Barcelona will find the Museu Frederic Mares in the city’s Ciutat Vella district.

The museum is one of many cultural institutions in the Catalan capital, along with the Museu Picasso and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

Picasso

People who enjoy discovering new artists should pay a visit to the Museu Picasso whilst in Barcelona this summer.

From June 11th to September 27th, the museum will present an exhibition of work by the Dutch artist Kees van Dongen.

The show – which is co-produced by the Museu Picasso, the Nouveau Musee National in Monaco and Montreal’s Musee des Beaux Arts – represents the first major survey of Van Dongen’s work in Spain.

It sets out to highlight the significance of an artist who, according to the museum, deserves more recognition than he has achieved.

Almost 100 works by Van Dongen feature in the exhibition, as well as a number of pieces by Picasso that serve to illustrate the friendship between the two artists.

Art enthusiasts planning visits to Barcelona towards the end of the year will be able to see a display of Picasso’s erotic prints at the Museu Picasso from November 5th.

People interested in discovering new art should pay a visit to the Palau de la Virreina in Barcelona over the coming months to see an exhibition dedicated to Javier Codesal.

Palau de la Virreina

The showcase of work by the Spanish photographer will be open at the institution in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district until May 31st.

A variety of art-forms are explored in the exhibition, including photography, video, installation and other visual arts.

The display is titled Inside and Outside Us and is designed to encourage visitors to “take a look from within” at the outside world.

Visitors to Barcelona will be able to expand their cultural horizons by seeing a number of exhibitions over the coming months, including a show at Casa Asia exploring China’s eventful history.

This photographic exhibition, which features a large collection of diverse images dating back to 1949, will be open until May 15th.