MACBA Contemporary Art Museum

MACBA (Contemporary Art Museum) was opened to the public on November 28th in 1995 and forms a part of an ambitious project of urban renewal of the entire district of El Raval. In 1990s El Raval was in desperate need of reform and at the same time Barcelona was looking for an appropriate place to construct a first-class museum of contemporary art.
Thus ugly blocks and narrow streets were torn down to create airy, open spaces.

The museum itself was designed by American architect Richard Meier and stands out by its white luminous façade, combined straight and curved lines and lots of natural light that invades the museum through the swatches of glass. It has a longitudinal floor plan with a 120 x 35 m base, in which a circular piece that serves to articulate exhibition space is vertically inserted, passing through all four floors. The museum’s architecture is clearly based on rationalism and alludes to Masters of modern architecture.

MACBA dominates Plaça dels Angels, the large open square in the northern part of El Raval.

There is a permanent collection which focuses on modern art of the late 20th century to the present days consisting mostly of the works of Catalan, Spanish and also International artists (including Antoni Tapies, Miquel Barcelo and Eduardo Chillida). This permanent collection was started roughly in 1950s. Anyway what you see will depend almost entirely on when you go, because much of gallery space is given to temporary and frequently challenging exhibitions, photography, video and conceptual art.
 
One of the highlights of the permanent collection is a composition called Sudden Awakening by Antoni Tapies which represents exploded bed hang on the wall near the entrance.

In 2006 the medieval chapel Convent dels Angels became the Capella MACBA and has been converted into a separate exposition with regular video art performances anyone can enjoy just for free.

Beside the MACBA there is the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre (CCCB). Opened in 1994, the CCCB is a centre devoted to the concept of city. There is no permanent collection on display, as the CCCB is a bustling arts centre for all sorts of cutting-edge shows and events. Thus, for example the annual short film festival takes place here and in June CCCB is overcrowded by the fans of modern music as this month international techno and multimedia festival Sónar is held there.

There is a cage shared with CCCB next door and very good gift and bookshop.

Address:
Plaça dels Angels, 1, El Raval

Opening times:
Summer time (from June 24th till September 24th) Mon, Wed, Sat from 11.00 – 20.00, Thu – Fri from 11.00 – midnight, Sun and public holidays from 10.00 – 15.00, Closed on Tuesdays.
Winter time (from September 25th till June 23rd) Mon, Wed –Fri from 11.00 – 19.30, Sat from 10.00 – 20.00, Sun from 10.00 – 15.00, Closed on Tuesdays, December 25th, January 1st.
Ticket counters close 30 min. before the museum.

Admission fee:
Adults 7,5 Euros, Children under 14 and Senior citizens over 65 free;
Temporary exhibitions: Adults 4 euros, Children under 14 and Senior citizens over 65 free.
On Wed admission fee for everyone 3,5 euros.

How to get there
By metro: green Line L3, red Line L1 Plaça de Catalonia; Red Line L1 and Blue Line L5 Universitat
By bus: 9, 14, 16, 17, 22, 24, and 38
Some useful tips
Take audioguide to understand better where you are, audio tour is included in price.