Guide to museums in Catalonia reopening after coronavirus lockdown

Piece by piece, Catalonia is beginning to regain some semblance of normality, or at least “the new normality” following the Covid-19 lockdown. 

Shops and businesses have already started opening again, but following this, it’s the turn for non-essential cultural centers to welcome the public back again.

With some enhanced safety precautions in place, such as a limited capacity, face masks made obligatory, and hand sanitizer on offer, museums and cultural centers are doing everything in their power to make the public feel safer when visiting. 

During May, the National Archaeology Museum in Tarragona became the first major museum in Catalonia to reopen for visitors, but since early June, some more museums have been opening again across the country.

On June 1, the Caixa Forum reopened its doors with two fascinating exhibitions, ‘Objects of Desire. Surrealism and design, 1924-2020’ and ‘Where we are. Where we could be.’ A couple of days later, the MACBA opened for the first time in months with a pioneering exhibition from Greek artist Takis utilizing magnetism, light, and sound. 

But what about the rest of the museums, when will they open? Here’s our guide to the reopening of museums and galleries across Catalonia. 

Barcelona

Caixa Forum - Open since June 1

Surrealism and its influence on design and day-to-day objects.

MACBA - Open since June 3

Exhibit on the Greek artist Takis, a pioneer in using magnetism, light and sound in his art.

MNAC - Opening on June 10

Imprints and figurations in Catalonia’s d’Àneu Valleys, an intervention by Oriol Vilapuig.

CCCB - Opening on June 12

"Gameplay" journeys to the origins of video games, analyses their language and highlights the impact they have had on popular digital culture and on art and society.

Picasso Museum - Opening on June 12

Miró Foundation - Opening since June 10

A large constellation of drawings comprising 150 pieces, including drawings which are at the root of Miró’s most renowned works and others which the artist repeated for years without ever actually developing them into paintings.

Design Museum - Open since June 2

Tiles and crafts: contemporary artisan proposals.

World Culture’s Museum - Open since June 2

MUHBA - Various sites open since June 2

An exhibit on the story of the Harry Walker’s factory in Barcelona and how its workers came together to demand better conditions.

Foto Colectania - Open since June 3

Antoni Tàpies Museum - Opening on June 12

‘The acid is my knife’ shows prints and artist’s books made between 1988 and 1990, focusing on Antoni Tàpies’ experiments in the field of printmaking. The material aspects of an artwork were of prime importance for him, hence his interest in constantly trying new elements and techniques.

Montjuïc Castle - Open since June 2

Girona

Museum of Jewish History - Open since June 4

Cinema Museum - Open since June 4

‘Francesc Dalmau and the art of optical illusions (1839-1878)’ is a homage to the figure that modeled and expanded the visual univers of our ancestors in the 19th century.

Girona History Museum - Open since June 4

Archaeology Museum - Open since June 4

Girona Art Museum - Open since June 4

‘Genuine fakes: the art of deception’ delves into the darkest, dirtiest side of the art market. It is an opportune yet risky undertaking at a time when we are threatened by lies, camouflaged as post-truth and when simulation and falsehood look for any number of strategies to be believable.

Casa Masó - Open since June 10

Tarragona

National Archeological Museum of Tarragona - Open since June 6

The ivory doll, the Medusa, Antinous, Emperor Lucius Verus… these and others among the MNAT’s most representative exhibits can be seen in Tinglado 4 in the Port of Tarragona. While the Archaeological Museum in the Plaça del Rei is being refurbished, the MNAT is presenting a synthesis exhibition of the history of Tarraco in these former port facilities on the Costa Wharf in the Port.

Modern Art Museum of Tarragona - Closed until further notice

Castellarnau House - Open

The Early Christian Museum and Necropolis - Open since June 6

Lleida

Roda Roda Automotive Museum - Open since June 6

Lleida Museum - Open since June 6

Gelonch Viladegut collection on display, consisting of 1,001 etchings by authors such as Picasso, Rembrandt, Goya, Warhol, Miró or Dürer.

La Panera Art Center - Open since June 16

Water Museum - Open since June 6

The ‘Waters of the world’ exhibition recently reached 3,000 bottles from all around the globe.

CaixaFòrum Lleida - Open

‘Building New Worlds 1914-1945’ exhibit, exploring the avant garde art of the early XXth century.

Jaume Morera Art Museum - Open since June 6

General collection on display, including modern and contemporary art pieces by Lleida artists.

The House of the Giants - Open since June 6

A collection of “gegants" (giants) and other festive motifs and folklore characters.