History of a symbol: the searchlights of the Palau Nacional

Focus de llum del Palau nacional de Barcelona

Mireia Berenguer When you talk about the city of Barcelona graphically or draw its skyline, there are always a series of significant monuments and buildings in the city, such as the Sagrada Familia, the Agbar tower, the monument to Columbus or the triumphal arch, but there is also the Palau Nacional  with its unmistakable beams…

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Author: Mireia Berenguer

Mariano Andreu in the Museu Nacional

Mariano Andreu pintor

Eduard Vallès Since the end of last year the permanent rooms of the Museu Nacional have been exhibiting a couple of paintings by Mariano Andreu (Mataró, 1888 – Biarritz, 1976). Until recently, Andreu’s painting work was not present in the collections of the Museu Nacional (there are a couple of drawings and a print in…

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Author: Eduard Vallès

Concerning “Fabrica de salchichon de Vich Juan Torra” (1896), by Alexandre de Riquer

fabrica de salchichon riquer

Adela Laborda In 1893 the artist, writer, collector and pioneer of Modernista graphic arts in Catalonia, Alexandre de Riquer (Calaf, 1856 – Palma, 1920), put a masterpiece up for sale that is now in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya’s Renaissance and Baroque collection: The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew (1644), by Jusepe de Ribera, “lo…

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Author: Adela Laborda

The presence of cherries in the Gothic altarpieces in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. A brief history of medieval fruit

Mestre de la Porciúncula, Mare de Déu de la Porciúncula (detall), c. 1450, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya

Pablo José Alcover Cateura and Antoni Riera Melis Introduction Cherries are depicted in two Gothic altarpieces in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. This entry in the museum’s blog will explain why they are there. First, a few notes about the word ‘cherry’. The English word, the Catalan cirera and the Castilian cereza all come…

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Author: Z_ Guest blogger

Art in times of uncertainty: some thoughts

Marinus van Reymerswaele, San Jerónimo en su celda, 1535. Real Acdemia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Francesc Quílez In a time of worry, such as we are currently experiencing, in which we are overcome with anxiety and on the horizon we see only the image of uncertainty and despair, humanity seeks answers, remedies to help it bear this heavy burden that weighs us down, limits us and prevents us from going…

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Author: Francesc Quílez

Instances of equivalence between Romanesque painting and sculpture: examples from the Boí Valley

Davallament d'Erill la Vall. Conjunt complert amb les peces del MEV i el Mueseu Nacional, 2005

Jordi Camps If one had to choose the most impressive Romanesque works of sculpture from the Pyrenees, there can be no doubt that the list would have to include the Descent from the Cross from Erill la Vall and, especially, the Christ of Mijaran, unquestionably the sculptural equivalent of the apse of Sant Climent in…

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Author: Jordi Camps

Observing items of furniture from Gothic domestic interiors

Els Amics del Museu Nacional segueixen la visita de Mònica Piera Miquel

Balma Badal Being a Friend of the Museu Nacional (Amics del Museu Nacional) is a privilege because, among many other things, it gives you the possibility of looking at the museum’s collection from very diverse points of view that, at the same time, allow you to focus on different themes. The connecting thread of one…

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Author: Balma Badal

25 Years of Museum Connections

Irina Grevtsova Their doors closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, therefore museums and many cultural institutions have had to sharpen their wits in order to continue providing their visitors – now, virtual visitors – with high-quality initiatives. Without wishing to ever replace the direct experience of a visit – to incentivize it rather, in what…

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Author: Z_ Guest blogger

The management of accessibility and inclusion, a shared responsibility

Catalan Down Syndrome Foundation, MagmaCultura, Teresa González, David Cabrera, Laura la Lueta, Alba Gimbert, Míriam Marín and Isabel Briz. An experience of professional skills training for people with functional diversity at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya In the post The Museum, a multidisciplinary incubator a setting for discovering my profession, of 12 April 2018,…

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Author: Teresa González

August L. Mayer and the Baroque painting in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya

Museografia del Museu d'Art Modern al Palau Nacional, 1934. Vista parcial de la Col·lecció Gil. AFB.

Joan Yeguas August Liebmann Mayer (Griesheim, 1885 – Auschwitz, 1944) was one of the great experts on Spanish painting of his day; his opinion was heeded in academic circles, the world of museums and the field of art dealing. He graduated in Berlin in 1907 under the wing of Heinrich Wölfflin and with the support…

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Author: Joan Yeguas