Leslie Livingston 
Picasso, Miro, Dali — giants of the art world — all once called Barcelona home. The city is still pumping out artists to the day. Its institutions continue to mount masterpieces for the public to swoon over. There are a huge variety of museums in Barcelona — cutting edge contemporary spaces, modern art, traditional art, … Read more
Opened in 2021, the MOCO Museum is a pure delight. It’s situated in a 16th century Gothic Quarter palace once reserved for the city’s elite. The fresh-faced museum is the city’s most photogenic gallery. The walls are hung with contemporary artworks by the likes of Banksy, Warhol, Kusama, Basquiat, and Dali. There are immersive digital … Read more
Love him or hate him, Pablo Picasso was the most famous, and for me then greatest, artist of the 20th century. Though he made his career in Paris, the most formative years of his life were spent in Barcelona. It was here that a young Picasso mastered the painting techniques of his artistic forerunners. And … Read more
So you may be wondering, should you visit the Mies van der Pavilion when you’re on Montjuic Hill? The answer is it depends. If you are a devotee of modern architecture, a visit is a must do. If not, given the rather hefty entrance fee, it’s skippable. Instead, you can walk around the minimalist building … Read more
Casa Vicens is a magnificent Antoni Gaudi creation located in Barcelona’s Gràcia neighborhood. The vivacious Casa Vicens splashed onto the Gaudi tourist circuit in Barcelona in November 2017. It opened flamboyant doors to the public after 130 years of private ownership and a massive renovation. It’s an intense burst of exotic color. Casa Vicens is … Read more
The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (“MNAC”) is absolutely wonderful! It’s housed in a grandiose Neo-Baroque palace on Montjuic Hill designed by architects Eugenio Cendoya and Enric Catà. The museum has the best art in Barcelona. You could easily spend several hours immersing yourself in its artistic and architectural marvels. The museum’s mission is to … Read more
Modern art lovers will want to worship at the shrine to the Barcelona-born Joan Miro. He was Catalonia’s most famous Surrealist painter and sculptor. Miro’s titular museum is housed in a striking white concrete museum on Montjuic Hill. It was built to show off Miro’s art. The architect’s focus was on light, space, and flow. … Read more
Palau de la Musica Catalana is one of Barcelona’s most beautiful spaces. In fact, it’s my favorite Modernist interior in the city. The palace is full of visual mischief and whimsy both inside and out. The dense ornamentation — glossy mosaics, stained glass, kaleidoscopic skylight, and sculptures — will take your breath away. The over-the-top … Read more
One of Gaudi’s early masterpieces is just off La Rambla. But without the sign pointing the way, you might not even know it’s there! Eusebi Güell (pronoucned g-WAY), Gaudi’s chief patron, commissioned the building in the 1880s. It was Gaudi’s first big project. The palace is quite different and less flashy than Gaudi’s later, and … Read more
La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, is the fantastical creation of Antoni Gaudi, one of Spains’ greatest architects. Famous for its undulating stone facade and twisting wrought iron balconies, the structure is a masterpiece of early 20th century architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built between 1906-12, La Pedrera is one of two … Read more