The National Art Museum of Catalonia reopens its Gothic collection

Gothic, Renaissance, Cambó and Thyssen-Bornemisza collections more focused on the visitor

Sergio Uceda

May 27, 2010 04:11 AM

Barcelona (CNA).- After eight months of intense renovation work, the National Art Museum of Catalonia will once again open its West Room. The space contains the Gothic, Renaissance, Cambó and Thyssen-Bornemisza collections. The museum’s collection of Medieval religious art is one of the most important of the world.
The renovation process started in September, when the West Room was closed in order to improve its exhibition conditions. The most important changes have affected the Gothic space, where thematic groups without artistic relevance have been removed. Now, all the works are shown in chronological order starting from the Gothic period. The collection portrays mainly international and Italian works, as well as Catalan. Also, the objects are arranged in hierarchical fashion so visitors can immediately identify the most important works.

The aim of the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona is to serve as a showroom for the whole of Catalan art from the Romanesque period to the mid-twentieth century. Its Romanesque collection is considered one of the most important in the world. For example, the museum hosts the Romanesque fresco Christ Pantocrator from the church of Sant Climent de Taüll. In the Renaissance and Baroque collections, there are works by El Greco, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Cranach and Rubens, among others. It is also possible to see some works belonging to the Art Nouveau, Noucentisme and Avant-garde movements.