Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
andasthefirstGamesafterthebreakupsofYugoslaviaandtheSovietUnion(whoseathletes
took the field as the “Unified Team”).
Nearby:
Hoveringoverthestadiumisthefuturistic
MontjuïcCommunicationsTower,
designed by prominent Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and used to transmit Olympic
highlights and lowlights around the world.
The big vision for this wonderful museum is to showcase Catalan art from the 10th century
through about the mid-20th century. Often called “the Prado of Romanesque art” (and
“MNAC” for short), it holds Europe's best collection of Romanesque frescoes. It also offers
aparticularlygoodsweepofmodernCatalanart—fitting,givenCatalunya'sastonishingcon-
tribution to the Modern. While some may find it “another boring museum,” art aficionados
are sure to find something in this diverse collection to tickle their fancy.
Cost and Hours:
€10, includes temporary exhibits, ticket valid for two days within
one month, free first Sun of month; audioguide-€3.10; open Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun
10:00-14:30, closed Mon, last entry 30 minutes before closing; in massive National Palace
building above Magic Fountains, near Plaça d'Espanya—take escalators up; tel.
936-220-376,
www.mnac.cat
.
VisitingtheMuseum:
Asyouenter,pickupamap(helpfulforsuchabigandconfusing
building).TheleftwingisRomanesque,andtherightwingisGothic,exquisiteRenaissance,
and Baroque. Upstairs is more Baroque, plus modern art, photography, coins, and more.
The MNAC's rare, world-class collection of
Romanesque
(Romànic) art came mostly
from remote Catalan village churches (most of the pieces were moved to the museum in the
early 1920s to save them from scavenging art dealers). The Romanesque wing features a
remarkable array of 11th- to 13th-century frescoes, painted wooden altar fronts, and ornate
statuary. This classic Romanesque art—with flat 2-D scenes, each saint holding his symbol,
and Jesus (easy to identify by the cross in his halo)—is impressively displayed on replicas
of the original church ceilings and apses.
Acrosstheway,inthe
Gothic
wing,frescomuralsgivewaytovivid14th-centurywood-
panel paintings of Bible stories. A roomful of paintings (Room 26) by the Catalan master
Jaume Huguet (1412-1492) deserves a look, particularly his
Consecration of St. Agustí Vell
.
Forabreak,glideunderthehuge
dome,
whichoncehousedanice-skatingrink.Thiswas
the prime ceremony room and dance hall for the 1929 World Expo.
From the big ballroom, you can ride the glass elevator upstairs to the
Renaissance and
Baroque
section, covering Spain's Golden Age (Zurbarán, heavy religious scenes, Spanish
royals with their endearing underbites) and Romanticism (dewy-eyed Catalan landscapes).
Down on the ground floor are minor works by major—if not necessarily Catalan—names
(Velázquez, El Greco, Tintoretto, Rubens, and so on).
