Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
Incorporating one of the most important medieval art collections in the world, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) is housed in the majestic Palau Nacional, built in 1929. The high point of the museum is the Romanesque art section, consisting of the painted interiors of churches from the Pyrenees dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. There is also the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, with works from the Gothic period to the Rococo; the Cambó Bequest, with works by the likes of Goya and Zurbarán; and a collection of works by Catalan artists from the early 19th century to the 1940s.
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Gallery GuideThe Cambó Bequest and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collections are on the main floor. On the first floor are the Modern art galleries, along with the photography and numismatics collections. |
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Top 10 Exhibits
Murals: Santa Maria de Taüll
The well-preserved interior of Santa Maria de Taüll (c.1123) gives an idea of how incredibly colourful the Romanesque churches must have been. The symbolism concentrates on Jesus’s early life, with scenes of the Wise Men and John the Baptist.
Frescoes: Sant Climent de Taüll
The Taüll interior, is a melange of Byzantine, French and Italian influences. The apse is dominated by Christ in Majesty and the symbols of the four Evangelists and the Virgin, with the apostles beneath.
Crucifix of Batlló Majesty
This splendid, mid-12th-century wooden carving depicts Christ on the cross with open eyes and no signs of suffering, as he has defeated death.
The Madonna of the Councillors
Commissioned by the city council in 1443, this work by Lluis Dalmau is rich in political symbolism. It reveals the head councillors, supported by saints and martyrs, kneeling before an enthroned Virgin.
Cambó Bequest
Catalan politician Franscesc Cambó (1876–1974) bequeathed his enormous art collection to Catalunya; two large galleries contain artworks from the 16th to early 19th centuries, including Titian’s Girl Before A Mirror (c. 1515).
Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
A small but fine selection of Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza’s vast collection. Among the magnificent paintings are Fra Angelico’s sublime Madonna of Humility (1433–5) and a charmingly domestic Madonna and Child (c.1618) by Rubens.
Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem
This painting depicts the painter Casas and his friend Romeu, with whom he began the bohemian tavern Els Quatre Gats (see Best Restaurants & Tapas Bars).
Woman with Hat and Fur Collar
Picasso’s extraordinary depiction of his lover Maria-Thèrèse Walter shows him moving beyond Cubism and Surrealism into a new personal language, which would become known simply as the “Picasso style”.
Numismatics
The public numismatic collection dates back to the 6th century BC and features medals, coins (including those from the Greek colony of Empuries, which had its own mint from the 5th century BC), paper money and 15th-century Italian bills.