Gaudí Exhibition Center

There is a museum in Barcelona that enables visitors to immerse themselves completely in the works of the famous architect, Antoni Gaudí, so as to understand his work in depth by going far beyond a simple visit to a museum.  We're talking about the Gaudí Exhibition Center which is situated beside the Cathedral and is the result of a joint project between the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona and the collection of the Gaudí Exhibition.

The Gaudí Museum

The Gaudí Exhibition Center is a building that is entirely dedicated to Gaudí: it houses a unique collection of items, objects and documents that belonged to the brilliant Catalan architect.  Said collection is the result of international searches regarding Gaudí: about the man and his work as well as about his way of working.  As we have already mentioned, the project came about as the result of an agreement between the Diocesan Museum of Barcelona and the collection from the Gaudí Exhibition, whose objective was to create an innovative and international museum center.  History and technology, in fact, coexist intelligently and triumphantly together with tradition and innovation which all contributed to making the famous architect's style so unique.  The space that this incredible Gaudí museum has dedicated to its subject is housed inside a medieval building, the Piua Almoina (the diocesan head-quarters) which is connected to Barcelona's Cathedral: this is one of the most frequently visited place in the city.  

Useful information

In order to reach the Gaudí Exhibition Center by Metro, you can take the Yellow Line L4 and get off at the station called Jaume I or, the Green Line L3 getting off at the Liceu station.  An alternative would be to take the bus (lines 45, V15, V17): the address is No. 7 Pla de la Seu 7. In summer, (from March to October), the museum opens from 10:00 until 20:00 whereas in winter, (from November to February), it closes two hours earlier, at 18:00.  And finally, it is important to remember that the museum is open every day, including Sundays and public holidays.  The entry fee for adults is €12.00 and provides the virtual reality technology provided by Samsung.  The entry fee for young people up to the age of 17 is €6.00 and also includes VR glasses.  

Organizing a visit to the Gaudí Exhibition Center

But what are the actual exhibitions you are likely to find in the museum?  Examples of what you can find at the Gaudi Exhibition Center are sub-divided into: permanent exhibits, virtual reality and temporary exhibitions.  Among the former is “A Genius’s mind”, which focuses on going beyond a simple viewpoint of Gaudí's works with the objective of exploring the architect's mentality and what drove him to take the artistic and architectural decisions he did.  Then, great attention is also focused on the context in which the architect found himself: you can participate in a reading tour of Gaudí's works through the "lenses" of art, tradition, craftsmanship and science, (we'll cover the exhibition called "Walking with Gaudí” in the next paragraph). But, there are other lenses through which you can explore the museum: we're talking about something that will enable you to enjoy a unique and technologically advanced experience, (after all, Gaudí was also extremely technical in his time).  This is the use of virtual reality: in collaboration with Samsung, the museum is able to provide visitors with VR glasses which enables them to make a virtual visit to the inside of the  Colònia Güell crypt - this is available to both adults and children.  And finally, there are also the temporary exhibitions which you can find out about by checking the updates that are published by the Gaudí Exhibition Center either on their Blog or on their Facebook web page.

The "Walking with Gaudí" Collection

This is an exhibition that focuses on exploring the mind of a genius because Antoni Gaudí, despite being a man who was representative of his time, was way ahead of the general trends at the end of the 19th century and in each of his works, he combined art, respect for tradition, a sense of craftsmanship and the precision of science.  "Walking with Gaudí", is a bold and extensive collection which includes original and surprising models which are capable of revealing the artistic genius and his dedication to his work. Once you arrive at the end of the collection, as you would in any laboratory, you will have become a true expert on Gaudí and you will be able to view with a new awareness, the wonderful works that the architect created in the city of Barcelona.  A word of advice? Go to the Gaudí Exhibition Center first and then enjoy your visits to the Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell and the houses that were designed and built by Gaudí. You can also request a Barcelona Tourist guide who will be able to accompany you on a special tour of the most famous (and some of the less well known) places which were created by this world famous architect from Barcelona.....for example, do you know the Casa Vicens?