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.

A special exhibition has been launched in Barcelona paying tribute to the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.

Basilica Palladiana - One of many Palladian buildings

The showcase will be open at the CaixaForum in the city’s Sants-Montjuic district until September 6th.

Travellers staying in Barcelona will be able to visit the exhibition to learn all about the Venetian designer, who is thought to be one of the most influential figures in the history of western architecture.

Palladio was one of the most sought-after architects of his time, regularly commissioned by religious authorities and aristocrats.

Some of his most notable creations include the Teatro Olimpico and the Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza and the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

The CaixaForum display has been put together to provide an extensive representation of Palladio’s career through more than 200 of his most significant works.

Visitors to Barcelona will find the CaixaForum, one of the city’s most popular cultural centres, on Avinguda Marques de Comillas.

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.

The turbulent but fascinating history of China is the focus of a new exhibition that will be open in Barcelona over the coming months.

China Flags

Entitled China: Portrait of a Country, the photographic showcase opened at Casa Asia this week and will remain on display until May 17th.

The exhibition includes a wide range of images that document the development of China and the experiences of its people from 1949 up to the present day.

Many of the pictures in the display are extremely rare and are therefore considered of great historical and cultural importance.

The Casa Asia exhibition also includes screenings of the film trilogy China: A Century of Revolution, which has never been shown in Spain before.

Another recent opening at Casa Asia explores the work of the Japanese architect Toyo Ito and his interest in the concept of the human being and architecture being integrated into one.

This show will be open until May 29th.

The coming year will represent a “new era” for Barcelona’s photographic archives, according to the city council.

La Rambla

Having previously been included in the city’s historical archives, the photographic collections are now part of the Heritage Centre Department and will be housed in a visitor centre.

The city council said that the aim of this facility will be to “make its resources available to the entire public”.

In the new archive’s exhibition hall, visitors can see some of the two million images that comprise the collection, which cover a range of subjects and represent various styles.

The main focus of the archive is the city of Barcelona, particularly its architectural and urban development, but there are also many images representing towns and villages all over Catalonia and Spain.

Visitors will find the archive centre at Placa de Pons i Clerch in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district, close to the Ciutadella park, one of the city’s most famous and popular attractions.