An Art Lover’s Guide to Barcelona

While the famed Spanish artist was born in Malaga and spent most of his working life in Paris, he lived in Barcelona for nine years after moving to the city at age 13. To learn more about Picasso’s most formative period, book a Barcelona art tour with skip-the-line tickets for the Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso). Located in the historic neighborhood of El Born, the gallery focuses on his earliest creations and his relationship with Barcelona. And it’s particularly fun to try and scope out the local spots in his pieces.

Halfway up the hillside Montjuic Park (Parc de Montjuïc) that hugs the south side of the city, the Joan Miró Museum (Fundació Joan Miró) houses the largest collection of works by the Catalan artist. Book your museum admission ticket or tour in advance and see how Spanish architect Josep Lluís Sert collaborated with Miró to create the bright and spacious modern Mediterranean building. It’s an ideal backdrop for Miró’s work and a peaceful place to spend time in.

Insider tip: Don’t miss the rooftop adorned with Miró’s sculptures and boasting panoramic views across the city.

It’s hard to miss the towering neo-Baroque building, constructed for the 1929 World Exhibition, located in Montjuic Park—best reached via a hop-on hop-off city sightseeing bus. Within it are the vast galleries of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya), which largely showcase Catalan art from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. However, it’s the Romanesque frescoes (some of the most important examples of medieval art worldwide) that draw people here.

This famed glass-fronted building in the neighborhood of Raval is now recognized worldwide thanks to the hoards of skateboarders who perform night and day in its courtyard. Inside, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) is just as intriguing. Skip the line and explore at your own pace; the permanent collection is dedicated to art from the second half of the 20th century with pieces by Paul Klee, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Antoni Tàpies.

Insider tip: Check the schedule as there are also regular rotating temporary exhibitions showing the latest thought-provoking artists around.

Just down the road from the Picasso Museum, this 16th-century palace is now home to the independent gallery, Moco Museum Barcelona. The beautifully restored space has limited tickets per day, so it’s best to book online in advance. Once inside, expect to see an impressive lineup, including works by Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama, and Marina Abramovic. If you’re after immersive art experiences in Barcelona, this is the place to be, as it has a space dedicated to the latest innovations in digital art, including non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

It’s clear from first sight that the Antoni Tàpies Foundation (Fundació Antoni Tàpies)—located in the heart of L'Eixample District—is no ordinary Modernista building. In fact, it's topped with a huge jumble of silver wires, an abstract sculpture which offers insight into what to expect from the work of Tàpies inside. Created by the artist in 1984, today the space is dedicated to his esoteric life and work, as well as showcasing other artists through rotating exhibitions.

Caixa, the Spanish bank, has an impressive collection of more than 800 works of modern and contemporary art, which are on display in its various galleries around Spain. Housed in a former Modernista brick building, CaixaForum Barcelona showcases one of the largest. Alongside works from its permanent collection, there’s always an interesting array of art exhibitions across eras, styles, and themes in addition to a packed events itinerary. Make your trip a breeze with the Barcelona Card, which offers free or discounted entry to more than 20 top visitor attractions (including the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Picasso Museum, Disseny Hub, and MEAM) plus free transport.

Known as la grapadora (the stapler) by locals, thanks to the contemporary structure’s shape, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Design Museum of Barcelona), aka Disseny Hub, is part of a new wave of modern buildings in the neighborhood of Glories, just next to Poblenou. Going inside is a must for design fans due to the array of ceramics, fashion, decorative arts, and textiles on display. Start on the top floor and work your way down for a chronological look at design from the 1550s to the present day.

Quite literally hidden down a tiny backstreet in the barrio of El Born, the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (European Museum of Modern Art), or MEAM, is a must for fans of contemporary art in Barcelona. The collection, dedicated solely to figurative art made in recent times, contains 230 contemporary figurative paintings and sculptures. The setting is lovely, too, spread over three floors in Palau Gomis (Gomis Palace), an 18th-century building with a shaded central courtyard.