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Everything you need to know for your visit to MACBA

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) has gone through several years of challenges and changes. Its opening in 1995 in the Raval neighborhood has changed not only the neighborhood, but also the city, consolidating itself as a vital center of contemporary art both inside and outside the country. Below, we’ll talk about its history, the architecture of the building and what you can see and do in the museum.

History of MACBA

MACBA

In the Barcelona of 1953, the writer and art critic Alexandre Cirici Pellicer promoted the creation of a contemporary art museum in the city. His first step was to found the Association of Contemporary Artists, in order to put together a collection that would be on a par with that of the MoMA in New York.

 

Thus, in 1960 the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA) was inaugurated, or at least the first version of it. The museum, which was based in the dome of the Coliseum Theater, experienced many financial difficulties and lack of institutional support. In 1963, the exhibition “Art and Peace”, with an anti-Francoist theme, provoked such controversy that it was the decisive factor in closing the museum.

 

Twenty years later, a consortium of the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya was formed to relaunch the project of a contemporary art museum in the city. In 1986, Mayor Pasqual Maragall commissioned the American architect Richard Meier to construct the building.

 

For the museum’s new headquarters, the Raval neighborhood was chosen as part of the urban renewal project. At the time, the Raval was a deteriorating area with high rates of marginalization, and the aim was to revitalize the area and improve the quality of life for residents by encouraging economic and cultural development. Although the initiative brought about many improvements, such as new employment and a boost to local commerce, some neighbors complained about the acceleration of gentrification and rising housing prices.

 

Finally, in 1995 the MACBA was officially inaugurated in the Plaça dels Àngels. Since then, it has become a benchmark for contemporary art in Catalonia, making known many emerging artists in the region and promoting research, dissemination and debate on new artistic trends.

 

MACBA Architecture

Pasqual Maragall commissioned American architect Richard Meier to build the museum after meeting him at a conference in Switzerland. Initially, Meier proposed to design a building for the 1992 Olympics, and some time later, Maragall offered it to him as part of the renovation plan for the Raval neighborhood. This project not only involved the construction of the MACBA, but also the renovation of the Casa de la Caridad, which was located right in front of the museum and would house the Center for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB).

 

The MACBA building, with its more than 14,000 m², was influenced by rationalism and the architect Le Corbusier, with the aim of creating functional and efficient spaces, using geometric shapes, industrial materials and a minimalist design. In the building we find a mixture of straight lines and curves characteristic of Meier’s architecture, representing the fluidity of contemporary art and the rigidity of the neighborhood’s history.

 

The use of white, glass skylights and reflective materials give a sense of light and spaciousness that runs throughout the museum. The way in which natural light is used invites the public to contemplate the works in the most authentic way possible.

 

Inside the museum we find diaphanous spaces connected by ramps that facilitate an uninterrupted and much more fluid tour. We can see this sense of fluidity in the lobby, with its cylindrical shape, which welcomes visitors and creates a spatial connection between the exterior and the interior of the museum.

 

In addition to the exhibition halls, the museum has an auditorium in the basement of the building with a capacity for 200 people. This space, inaugurated in 2004, is used for conferences, concerts and other corporate and cultural events.

 

But we do not only find the MACBA in the main building. Around the square, we find two facilities that have been adapted over the years, such as the Convent of the Angels, a Gothic-style building right in front of the museum. This space houses the museum’s Study and Documentation Center, with a library, an archive and rooms for seminars and conferences. Next to it is the Chapel, a medieval church that is currently used for cultural events and activities.

Collections and Activities in MACBA

The MACBA’s Permanent Collection, created from private donations and the MACBA consortium, focuses on the second half of the 20th century to the present. The collection includes artists from all over the world, but the museum has emphasized Catalan, Spanish and Latin American artists. The works address different themes related to the body, popular culture, and social movements in the contemporary age.

One of the highlights of the collection is the series of more than 500 works by Art & Language, a British art group founded in 1986. These four artists publish their work in their magazine Art-Language, where they discuss concepts about modern art.

 

You can find this collection permanently on the second floor of the museum, with more than 5,000 works that vary within the collection to keep the exhibition more dynamic.

 

In addition to the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions, the MACBA offers a wide variety of activities aimed at promoting contemporary art:

 

  • The museum has educational and research programs, as well as a library with more than 64,000 documents for scholars and art historians.

 

  • A postgraduate course in Independent Studies (PEI) on new contemporary creative practices is offered.

 

  • The museum often publishes exhibition catalogs, essays on contemporary art and other types of publications.

 

  • The MACBA Foundation, founded in 1987, is in charge of protecting and conserving the museum’s collection.

 

  • MACBA Web Radio, created in 2006, is an online radio that brings together critical thinking and sound art. It has more than 800 podcast episodes, in which they interview contemporary artists and thinkers and discuss topics on the dissemination of art and culture.
 

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How to get there

The MACBA is located in the Plaza dels Àngels.

By metro: Catalunya (L1 and L3), Universitat (L1 and L2) or Liceu (L3)

By bus: Line 120, 55, D50, H16

The ticket at the box office costs 12 €, online 10,80 €. If you want to see a specific exhibition or you usually opt for a reduced price, check the website to make sure of the price.

Every Saturday, starting at 4:00 pm, you can visit the museum for free, as long as you have booked in advance. Children under 14 and over 65 can also visit for free, as well as many others. Check the website to find out if you can benefit from free admission.

Approximately 1 hour and a half, but this will depend on many factors.

Make the most of your visit

 

 

 

 

 

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