MUSEU NACIONAL D’ART DE CATALUNYA
Holding 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 highlight is the Romanesque art section, consisting of the painted interiors of Pyrenean churches dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. Other collections include works by Catalan artists from the early 19th century to the present day.
NEED TO KNOW
Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc • www.museunacional.cat/en • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sat (to 8pm May–Sep), 10am–3pm Sun; timings for roof terrace vary, check website. • Adm $14 (valid for 2 days a month; $16 with audio guide); free on Sat from 3pm and first Sun of the month; free for under 16 & over 65; roof terrace $2 • Free guided tours first Sun of the month (except Aug; Catalan noon, Spanish 12:15pm), by appointment
- The Oval Room has a great café. There’s also an elegant restaurant in the Throne Room (first floor).
Gallery Guide
The Cambó Bequest, with works by Zurbarán and Goya, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, with works from the Gothic to the Rococo, are on the ground floor, as are the Romanesque works. On the first floor are the modern art galleries and the photography and numismatics collections.
Gallery Floor plan
1. The Madonna of the Councillors
Commissioned by the city council in 1443, this work by Lluís Dalmau (1400–61) is rich in political symbolism, with the councillors, saints, and martyrs kneeling before an enthroned Virgin.
2. Murals: Santa Maria de Taüll
The well-preserved interior of Santa Maria de Taüll (c.1123) gives an idea of how colorful the Romanesque churches must have been. There are scenes from Jesus’s early life, with John the Baptist and the Wise Men.
3. Cambó Bequest
Catalan politician Francesc Cambó (1876–1974) left his huge art collection to Catalonia; two large galleries contain works from the 16th to early 19th centuries, including Tiepolo’s 1756 The Minuet.
4. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection
A small but fine selection from Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza’s vast collection. Among the magnificent paintings are Fra Angelico’s (1395–1455) sublime Madonna of Humility (1433–5) and a charmingly domestic Madonna and Child by Rubens (1577–1640)
5. Frescoes: Sant Climent de Taüll
The interior of Sant Climent de Taüll is a melange of French, Byzantine, 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.
6. Ramon Casas and Pere Romeu on a Tandem
This painting depicts the painter Casas (1866–1932) and his friend Romeu, with whom he began the Barri Gòtic tavern Els Quatre Gats.
7. Woman with Hat and Fur Collar
Picasso’s extraordinary depiction of his lover Maria-Thérèse Walter shows him moving beyond Cubism and Surrealism into a new personal language, soon to be known simply as the “Picasso style.”
8. 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.
9. Confidant from the Batlló House
Among the fine Modernista furnishings are some exquisite pieces by Antoni Gaudí, including an undulating wooden chair designed to encourage confidences between friends.
10. Numismatics
The public numismatic collection at the MNAC dates back to the 6th century bce and features medals, coins (including those from the Greek colony of Empuries, which had its own mint from the 5th century bce), and early paper money, as well as 15th-century Italian bills.
