CaixaForum Barcelona
Coordinates: 41°22′16.79″N 2°8′59.1″E / 41.3713306°N 2.149750°E
| CaixaForum Barcelona | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to the museum designed by Arata Isozaki | |
| Established | February 2002 |
| Location | Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-8 08038 Barcelona |
| Type | Art museum |
| Visitors | 782,529 (2011)[1] |
| Public transit access | Espanya, Barcelona Metro |
| Website | "la Caixa" - Obra Social |
CaixaForum Barcelona is an art gallery in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is sponsored by Barcelona bank "la Caixa", and opened in 2002 in a former factory. CaixaForum is located in the Montjuïc area, on Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia.[2] The museum houses art exhibits and is free to the public.[3]
The building
The building was originally commissioned as a textile factory by Casimir Casaramona i Puigcercós, and built by the famous Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch.[2] Called the "Casaramona factory", it was completed in 1911, and the same year won the City Council's award for best industrial building.[2] It closed in 1918, but reopened as a warehouse in 1929. In 1940 the building was used by the Spanish National Police Force, and it was used as such until "la Caixa" bought it in 1963.[2] It was opened as a museum in February 2002.[3] The building was restored prior to its opening,[4] and a new entrance was built, designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, in a process that included firing 100,000 bricks to match the original ones.[2] The museum, which opened in spring 2002, has almost three acres of exhibition space, a media library, auditorium, classrooms and a restaurant. Visitors descend by escalator to the basement lobby, adorned by a Sol LeWitt mural, then rise again to the exhibition spaces on the ground floor, within the crenelated brickwork.[5]
Current exhibitions
Delacroix (1798-1863)
15 February to 20 May 2012
An exhibition of the works of the French artist Eugène Delacroix, organized by "la Caixa" and the Louvre Museum, with works borrowed from museums and private collections,[6] including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Louvre in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, and the London National Gallery in London.[7] The exhibit has already visited the CaixaForum Madrid.[7]
Shadows and Truth: A selection of works of the Republic of Turkey's Central Bank
13 January 2011 to 4 March 2012
An exhibition of some of the works of art owned by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey.[8]
Bestué-Vives. Actions in the Universe
8 February 2012 to 20 May 2012
Actions in the Universe (2008) is the final exhibition in the series Actions. It is the work of artists David Bestué and Marc Vives, and was recently acquired by "la Caixa".[9]
To give an overview of the work of these artists, the exhibition contains videos of their other works, including Actions at home (2005), Story of the Enamoured Scorpion (2008), and State of Change (2010).[9][Notes 1]
Gallery
-
A model of the building
-
See also
Notes
- ↑ All titles are given in the translated form shown on "la Caixa"'s official website.
References
- ↑ "El CaixaForum rep 782.529 visitants". Diari de Girona (in Catalan). Barcelona. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "The Building". CaixaForum Barcelona. "la Caixa". Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Caixaforum: Pleasant, interesting and free of charge!". Barcelona tour guides. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ↑ Flanagan, Julie (2001). Museus i Centres de Patrimoni Cultural a Catalunya (in Catalan) (1st ed.). Barcelona: Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya. p. 19. ISBN 84-393-5437-1.
- ↑ Emma Daly (September 15, 2002), Glorious Recycling: Barcelona; Art in an old mill and Gaudí by bus New York Times.
- ↑ "Delacroix (1798-1863)". CaixaForum Barcelona. "la Caixa". Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Delacroix (1798-1863) CaixaForum, Barcelona". apartments-barcelona.net blog. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ↑ "Shadows and Truth. A selection of works of the Republic of Turkey's Central Bank". CaixaForum Barcelona. "la Caixa". Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Bestué-Vives. Actions in the Universe. Contemporary Art Collection "la Caixa" Foundation". CaixaForum Barcelona. "la Caixa". Retrieved 29 February 2012.
