CAIXAFORUM BARCELONA

Description

Essentials about the CaixaForum Barcelona in brief

Lovers of contemporary art should definitely make their way to the CaixaForum in Barcelona. The foundation of the Spanish savings banks La Caixa owns one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Europe and shows more than 800 works of outstanding artists such as Joseph Beuys, Tony Cragg and Anish Kapoor in its forum in Barcelona. In addition, the CaixaForum hosts temporary exhibitions on a wide range of topics. It is definitely worth taking a look at the Forum’s calendar of events. In addition, the Forum offers a wide range of activities for the public, from music to visual arts to social programs.

The building of the CaixaForum Barcelona

The CaixaForum is located at the foot of the local mountain Montjuïc, not far from Plaça d’Espanya. Besides the first-class exhibitions, it is also worth taking a look at the building itself. The Forum is housed in one of the most important buildings of the Modernisme, the Catalan Art Nouveau. The industrialist Casimir Casaramona, a pioneer in the use of electrically powered machines, commissioned Josep Puig i Cadafalch to build a factory. Puig i Cadafalch was one of the most important architects of Modernism, along with Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner.

The factory impressively embodies how functionality and aesthetics went hand in hand in Modernism. Puig i Cadafalch was inspired by medieval castles for the brick and cast-iron ornamentation of the building. At the time, the building was pioneering in terms of fire safety and long served as a benchmark in terms of working conditions.

It was inaugurated in 1913, but only served as a factory until 1919. Long years of vacancy followed. From 1940 to 1992, it was used as a police station. Finally, in 2002, the CaixaForum opened its doors to the public with 3,000 square meters of exhibition space. The old factory building was complemented by new architectural accents during the reconstruction. In the entrance area, for example, visitors are welcomed by a tree made of steel and glass.