Galleries
Galeria ADN
Carrer d’Enric Granados 49, 08008
934 510 064
Free www.adngaleria.com
Open Monday 3pm–8pm, Tuesday–Friday 10am–2pm and 4pm–8pm, Saturday 11am–2pm and 5pm–8.30pm
Metro or Train Provença Bus 20, H10
The gallery has a small step at the entrance but is otherwise wheelchair accessible
This is one of the few galleries in Barcelona to show work with a conceptual bias and it has built up a solid reputation for thought-provoking installations and socially conscious projects. Foreign Office (2015) by Moroccan-French artist Bouchra Khalili, for example, combined powerful video footage and sobering photographs to document the offices of various organisations across Algiers involved in the liberation movements of 1962 to 1972. In contrast to traditional documentaries of this nature, Khalili’s reflections on this period of history border on poetic. Cultural, historical and political issues are often at the forefront of exhibitions here, and the images consistently salient as a result. The name ADN tranlates to DNA in English and, fittingly, this gallery forms an integral component of this city’s artistic makeup. Don’t miss it.
Galeria Carles Taché
Carrer de Mèxic 19, 08004
934 878 836
Free www.carlestache.com
Open Tuesday–Friday 11am–2pm and 3pm–8pm
Metro or Train Plaça Espanya Bus 13, 23, 150
The gallery is wheelchair accessible
This award-winning gallery has been curating interesting projects with artists and a number of innovative institutions for more than 25 years. Carles Taché, the owner, teaches on the MA course at Barcelona University so there is almost guaranteed to be intelligent, groundbreaking work on display whenever you visit. Exhibits have included a one-person show by French artist Adriana Wallis that comprised simple photographic portraits alongside burnt paper drawings and curious glass sculptures – you never quite know what you’ll see next. Nevertheless it’s a very acccessible gallery, one devoted to the appreciation of art, as can be seen by its large collection of art publications.
Sala Parés and Galeria Trama
Carrer Petritxol 5, 08002 933 187 020
Free www.salapares.com
Open Tuesday–Friday 10.30am–2pm and 4pm–8pm, Saturday 10.30am–2pm and 4.30pm–8.30pm, Sunday (October–June only) 11.30am–2pm
Metro Liceu Bus 14, 59
There is wheelchair access to the ground floor but not the Gallery Trama on the upper floor
The Sala Parés gallery is one of the most prestigious in Barcelona, having been around since 1877. It has an illustrious history and many internationally renowned artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Francesco Goya, have shown here. Downstairs you’ll find mainly figurative and representational paintings, such as landscapes and still lifes by Glòria Muñoz and vivid watercolours by Francesc Artigau. Upstairs, however, is an entirely different story – this floor is home to Galeria Trama. Here you’ll come across more modern, experimental pieces, often large photographic works and colourful abstract paintings. In this unique space there is truly something for everyone.
3 Punts Galeria
Carrer d’Enric Granados 21, 08007
934 512 348
Free www.3punts.com
Open Monday 4pm–8pm, Tuesday–Saturday 11am–8pm
Metro Passeig de Gràcia, Universitat
Bus 54, 58, 64, 66, 67, 68, V15
The gallery is wheelchair accessible
3 Punts has occupied a spot on this charming, semi-pedestrianised street for the last couple of years, but has been a key player on Barcelona’s art scene since 1994. It has always been a keen supporter of Spanish artists, so the images and figurines on display have been remarkably consistent over the decades. The work of Gerard Mas has been exhibited here a number of times, and his traditional busts with a mischeivous twist are always popular. Samuel Salcedo’s life-sized, three-dimensional portraits with rabbit ears are similarly playful, while the carved wooden sculptures by Efraïm Rodríguez are astonishing, both for their verisimilitude and their often unnerving exploration of the female body. The gallery is included on the Contemporary Art Route, an annual event to encourage people to visit contemporary art galleries in the city.
Artur Ramon
Carrer de la Palla 25, 08002
933 025 970
Free www.arturamon.com
Open Monday 5pm–8pm, Tuesday–Friday 10am–1.30pm and 5pm–8pm, Saturday 10am–1.30pm
Metro Jaume I, Liceu Bus 51, 91, 120, V1, V13
The gallery is wheelchair accessible
Wandering through the many rooms of this extraordinary antique dealer is like walking through a wonderful museum, except here everything is for sale, from animal skulls covered in pearls and coins to paintings by Antoni Tapiès. It really is an entrancing wunderkammer, not least thanks to the midnight-blue paint on the walls, which lends each room the air of an entrancing grotto filled with precious jewels. The Ramon family have been here for four generations, and are world experts on antique artefacts as well as contemporary art. Look out for the intricate yet sinister glass sculptures by Yolanda Tabanera and the 13th-century crucifix featuring a gold-painted loincloth. The gallery also features photo-realist memento mori and vanitas still life paintings by Josep and Pere Santilari.
etHALL
Carrer de Joaquín Costa 30, 08001 606 802 323
Free www.ethall.net
Open Monday–Friday 11am–2pm and 5.30pm–9pm, Saturday 11am–2pm
Metro Sant Antoni, Universitat Bus 24, 41, 55, 64, 91, 120, H16
There is a step at the entrance and the gallery is small but otherwise wheelchair accessible
If you wander down the narrow back streets of the Gothic Quarter, you’ll come across this interesting gallery displaying contemporary drawings. One of the few European art galleries to specialise in works on paper, this is an excellent space to discover Spanish artists. The director shows a mixture of abstract and figurative pieces, from line drawings to comic books. At the back of the gallery is another small exhibition space selling and promoting artists’ books. Here you’ll find some unusual limited-edition works made by artists from around the world. They tend to be conceptual rather than illustrated editions, but it is hard to leave without purchasing an affordable, beautifully produced publication.
Nogueras Blanchard
L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Carrer Isaac Peral 7, 08902 934 636 313
Free www.noguerasblanchard.com
Open Monday–Friday 10.30am–7pm, closed during August
Metro Santa Eulalia Bus L16, L52, L82, L85
The gallery is not wheelchair accessible
Located in an industrial district of the city, this gallery has enough room to initiate some ambitious and groundbreaking projects. Having recently moved to the new 540-square-metre venue in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, the Nogueras Blanchard programme focuses on conceptual works, with artists often working in interdisciplinary mediums. The gallery invites younger curators to propose work for the space, making this a democratic and exciting location for contemporary collaborations, and also runs a series of kitchen talks where artists, critics, curators and those interested in art and culture are invited in for informal interviews and discussions.
Galeria Joan Gaspar
Plaça del Dr Letamendi 1, 08007 933 230 748
Free www.galeriajoangaspar.com
Open Monday 5pm–8pm, Tuesday–Friday 10.30am–1.30pm and 5pm–8pm, Saturday 10.30am–1.30pm
Metro Passeig de Gràcia, Universitat Bus 7, 20, 50, 54, 66, 67, 68, H 10, H12
The gallery is not wheelchair accessible
Starting life as the the Sala Gaspar in 1909, this is one of the longest-standing galleries in Spain. A wide range of work is on display here including Francisco Goya’s extraordinary etchings from the Los Capricos series. Having promoted work by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Antoni Tàpies and other world-renowned artists in its early days, Joan Gaspar now selects work by younger painters and sculptors such as Ruth Morán, whose cosmological abstract paintings Diagnosis e infinito were perfectly suited for this unusual space. The gallery building is interesting in itself and won an architecture prize in the 1970s. An aluminium-framed wooden door and unusual interior angles make this a quirky yet sophisticated venue for some astounding contemporary art.
Ana Mas Projects
L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Carrer Isaac Peral 7, 08902 936 337 475
Open Monday–Friday 11am–7pm, Saturday by appointment
Metro Santa Eulalia Bus L52, L82, L85, LH2
The gallery is not wheelchair accessible
Ana Mas Gallery has been based in Barcelona for the past 13 years and recently opened a second branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Having moved into a larger space in L’Hospitalet, the gallery programme has been divided between both spaces, giving more room to show work by some remarkable artists. Here you might see installations and publishing projects as well as drawings and conceptual work. Most of the artists on display are Spanish, and past exhibitors have included Carmen Mariscal, Xavier Miserachs, Alberto Peral, Àngels Ribé, Soledad Sevilla and Ana Tiscornia. Don’t be deterred by the industrial-looking exterior; the work here is cutting edge, often site responsive, and immersive.
