Barcelona Museum/Art Gallery List: Top 5

Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, Spain, is famous for the architecture of Antoni Gaudí, but it is also a city full of diverse museums and art galleries where you can see the flow of European art. WAUG introduces five essential cultural venues in Barcelona that will fill you with artistic inspiration.


1. Moco Museum Barcelona

Opened in Barcelona following Amsterdam, the Moco Museum is the place to find the latest trends in the contemporary art world. It focuses on innovative contemporary art such as NFT and digital art, along with works by famous artists like Banksy, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dalí, making it particularly popular with younger, trend-conscious travelers.


2. National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)

Located on Montjuïc Hill, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) is one of the largest museums in Spain, encompassing 1,000 years of Catalan artistic history. It houses a world-class collection of Romanesque murals and allows visitors to appreciate various artworks chronologically, spanning from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods through to modern times.


3. European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM)

Located in the Gothic Quarter, the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) uniquely focuses on '21st-century figurative art.' It has established a unique position by only exhibiting figurative works—that is, works where actual subjects are recognizable—in a contemporary art world dominated by abstract art. Here, you can encounter works that express modern themes using classical techniques.


4. Fundació Antoni Tàpies

This space is dedicated to illuminating the world of internationally renowned Catalan contemporary artist Antoni Tàpies. The Fundació Antoni Tàpies building itself is very distinctive, and through Tàpies' characteristic experimental and non-traditional works utilizing texture and material, visitors can understand the artistic current of Catalonia in the late 20th century.


5. Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA)

Located in the Raval district, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) focuses on contemporary art from the 1940s onwards. Its modern, white building design is striking, and it primarily explores social and political themes through the works of Catalan and Spanish contemporary artists. If you wish to examine the trends of experimental and avant-garde contemporary art, this is the place to visit.