Jana Soto As we explained in the post Museum libraries: the great unknown, this type of library, historically, has not enjoyed great visibility outside its museum’s walls. Each library and its staff are responsible for carrying out the actions needed to showcase the centre, as well as communicating its resources and services to the general…
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Yolanda Ruiz There is nothing that dignifies a book, an authentic transmitter of knowledge and culture, more than a good cover. And the Joaquim Folch i Torres Library conserves a collection of eighty-six beautifully bound books that belonged to the artist Alexandre de Riquer. We invite you to accompany us on a brief stroll through…
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The financing of museums has reduced in recent years and this has had a direct effect on the services, such as, for example, the libraries, which have seen their resources for the acquisition considerably reduced. In the Museu Nacional, during the month of April, the Library, Communication and the Friends of the Museum worked in…
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You may sometimes have wondered who Saint George was, and how long he has been the patron saint of Catalonia, or where the tradition of giving books and roses came from. And why his feast day is 23rd April. What do we know about any of this? Saint George was a Roman soldier, born in…
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The recent renovation of the modern art rooms dedicates an area to Japonism, a fashion which follows the art and aesthetics of Japan. It was born in Paris and spread to the rest of the European capitals during the second half of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. In Barcelona,…
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The oldest postcard circulated in Spain was issued in 1892. At the end of the 19th century, the Universal Postal Union regulated the format –9 x 14 cm– which was maintained until 1960, approximately, even though modern postcards are a little bigger. The first ones, published by the post office administrations, were very monotonous but…
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Throughout the history of the library of the Museu Nacional, numerous documents have been incorporated through purchases, exchanges and donations. In this way, the library collection has ended up being of major value to study and research in the artistic field. The acquisition through purchases are carried out by means of a close collaboration between…
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The museum’s library conserves an incunabula copy of the Breviarium cartusianum published in 1491 in Venice by Andrea Torresano. The copy was bought by the Board of Museums from Alexandre de Riquer in 1914, with municipal funds for the acquisition of the work, for the price of four hundred pesetas. The printer: Andrea Torresano (1451-1529)…
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The museum libraries attend as many users from the institution itself as external ones, who come to library as researchers, to study art or to get more information about the collections. But it wasn’t always so, due to the fact that initially these types of libraries emerged from the museum’s own activities, so as to…
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