Henry Jacqmein
Barcelona is unique in the vast European architectural and artistic spectrum. Though there are a wide variety of art museums in this marvelous city, one that is truly breathtaking is the Museu Nacional D’art de Catalunya.
The museum is inside of an Italian style building dating back to 1929, called the Palau Nacional. The museum was passed as a National Museum in 1990 by the Catalan Government. What makes this museum particularly beautiful is the artistic presence inside of the museum but also the artistic architecture of the building itself.
Entering the museum will give you a feeling of an artistic euphoria, with most ceilings and walls containing incredible designs and artwork. The artwork on the infrastructure could be an exhibit in its own, but instead only amplifies the artistic pleasure in which the audience will encounter.
Sculpture Work
One of the most prominent sections of art inside the museum contains marvelous sculptures of women created near the beginning of the 20th century. The names of the artwork are simple and let the sculptures speak for themselves. Some of the names are Youth, Female Nude, and Persuasion.
While in conversation with one of the security guards, a Catalonian named Miguel, he claimed he “feels it is an honor to work for the museum to support his Catalonian culture and the beautiful artwork also makes it easier to come into work every day.”
Two of the sculptures have a different style than the rest. These sculptures were created by Enric Casanovas and Miquel Blay. These sculptures are more centered on the face and upper body, rather than a full body, often completely nude style of the others. These fascinating sculptures, pictured below, allow for a more intense critique of facial expression and more creative thought. The natural beauty of the full body sculptures is spectacular to look at, but these two sculptures offer more insight into your imagination.
Mural
Along with the wonderful display of infrastructure artwork and sculptures, an intricate mural is displayed called Mural for IBM. The mural, created by Joan Miró and Josep Llorens Artigas was completed in 1978. The mural is composed of refractory stoneware tiles and white, black, blue, red, and green color enamels.
The artistic duo met in the 1910s at the Barcelona Art School. Eventually the artwork painted on the dome of the art school were done by the artistic duo, completed in 1929. The duo ended up creating many different works of art throughout the mid 20th century and many artworks like the one displayed here at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.
Catalonia
This museum holds incredibly intricate murals and sculptures like most other art museums, but the feeling of great pride from the congelation of Catalonian work is what sets this location apart. Catalonian pride is important to the population that is strong and present in Spain. Júlia, a Catalonian who was spending her day exploring the museum gave me insight to how this museum helps her be strong in her identity. “This art museum of works created by majority Catalonians brings me peace and joy knowing that our culture has produced such beautiful pieces and coming to the museum with my family, to spread this feeling will forever be an important part of my life.”
Barcelona can often be seen by tourists as the most famous Spanish city, but the Catalonian flag flies high at this wonderful museum.
Other Parts of Museum
While only some of the museum is covered in the blog, it is important to know that the museum contains endless important artworks contributed by Catalonians. The Gothic collection of art in the museum contains important works regarding maintaining and revitalizing Catalonian heritage. In the year 1835, a wave of burning took place of Catalonian church goods which damaged the heritage of them. The gothic room does a phenomenal job of summarizing the work of art throughout the tough stages of Catalonian history.
This museum will leave you speechless and few hours of exploration will entice you to learn more about the Catalonian culture. Raj, a tourist from India claimed “I came to Spain with little knowledge of the history of the Catalonians, but the museum prompted me to want to take a deeper dive into the historical context of Barcelona.”
If you are here long enough or talk to locals, you will quickly find that there is tension and a vast importance of culture to the Catalonian residents, and the Museum of National Art of Catalonia holds amplifies their feelings of pride and allows the tourist to experience the same feelings and to educate themselves.
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