Museums in Barcelona

The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) occupies the grandiose Palau Nacional on Montjuïc, housing Catalonia's definitive art collection from the Romanesque period to the mid-20th century — including the world's finest collection of Romanesque murals.

The Fundació Antoni Tàpies is dedicated to the work of Barcelona's greatest abstract artist, housed in a Domènech i Montaner publishing house whose rooftop is crowned by Tàpies' own tangled wire sculpture 'Cloud and Chair'.

The Museu Picasso is dedicated to the formative years of Pablo Picasso, housed in five interconnected medieval palaces along Carrer de Montcada in the Born quarter. Its collection of over 4,000 works focuses on his early periods and his relationship with Barcelona.

MAC BA (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona) is the city's major contemporary art museum, housed in a striking white building by American architect Richard Meier in the heart of El Raval.

The Fundació Joan Miró is a museum and cultural centre on Montjuïc hill dedicated to the work of Joan Miró, housed in a luminous rationalist building designed by his friend Josep Lluís Sert.

The Museu d'Història de Barcelona (MUHBA) takes visitors underground beneath the Gothic Quarter to explore 4,000 square metres of excavated Roman Barcelona — walking on ancient streets, past temple columns, wine-making facilities, and fish-sauce factories.

CosmoCaixa is Barcelona's science museum — a state-of-the-art facility in the Tibidabo foothills featuring an indoor Amazonian rainforest, a geological wall, and hands-on exhibits that make it one of the best science museums in Europe.

The Museu del Disseny de Barcelona is the city's design museum, bringing together collections of decorative arts, ceramics, textiles, and graphic design under one roof. It occupies a striking contemporary building by MBM Arquitectes at Plaça de les Glòries.

The Museu Marítim de Barcelona is housed in the Drassanes Reials (Royal Shipyards) — a magnificent series of Gothic stone naves built from the 13th century, one of the finest examples of Gothic civil architecture in the world.

CaixaForum Barcelona is a cultural center housed in a former Modernista textile factory designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1911. Operated by the "la Caixa" Foundation, it presents world-class temporary exhibitions spanning art, photography, architecture, and science.

The Museu Frederic Marès is an eclectic museum in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, built around the personal collection of sculptor Frederic Marès (1893–1991). It houses an extraordinary range of objects from medieval sculpture to 19th-century everyday items.