Experience Barcelona

Experience Barcelona following a path of sculpture and architecture. From Gaudì to the present, the capital of Catalonia is a pilgrimage destination for art and architecture lovers. Barcelona has always been a laboratory of modernity. At the end of the 19th century the cosmopolitan bourgeoisie of this city, which had become rich through maritime trade, promoted original architects like Antoni Gaudì. The most famous representative of the Modernisme Català built luxury residences for the upper class, the creativity and artisan wealth of which we still admire today . Even in the 20th century new ideas unfolded in the capital of Catalonia, as demonstrated by the art of Joan Mirò and Antoni Tapiès, as well as the architecture of Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion and Josep Lluis Sert's Fundaciò. Even the countermovement to modernity, postmodernism, was invented in Barcelona - by the architect Ricardo Bofill. Renovations were made on the occasion of the 1992 Summer Olympics - and again in recent years, when entire neighborhoods were rebuilt by star architects. Some examples include the Plaça de les Glòries with Jean Nouvel's Agbar Tower, the auditorium of Rafael Moneo and Ricardo Bofills National Theater, the Blue Forum 2004 by Herzog & DeMeuron, the Diagonal Mar Park by the architectural office of Mirailles Tagliabue EMBT and the district 22 @ in the former industrial quarter Poble Nou. Jaume Plensa is also one of the most important sculptors of our time and hails from Barcelona. On our city tour you will experience the dynamics of the city in art and architecture. The tour starts in the Fundació Enric Miralles, where the architectural firm EMBT, which he co-founded, is located. We will visit the ateliers of the sculptors Miquel Aparici and Frank Plant. Aparici makes figurative assemblages from discarded objects, Plant, an American living in Barcelona, makes murals of metal. We will visit the villa of the deceased sculptor Xavier Corberó. The villa is a work of art in itself and was created by the artist, together with the architect Ricardo Bofill. One of the architectural highlights of our trip is “Walden 7"- an extravagant early work by the young Bofill. Finally, classics such as the Barcelona Pavilion and the Fundació Joan Mirò are also a must for our art and architecture trip. Another highlight is the Caixa Forum - a museum of 800 artworks (including sculptures by Anish Kapoor and Tony Cragg) and of outstanding architecture. The master builder was Josep Puig i Cadalfalch, an influential contemporary of Gaudì. The modernization of the museum shows just how high the demands of architecture are in Barcelona: in 2002 it was taken over by none other than the Japanese star architect Arata Isozaki.

Program details

Day 1 – Thu, 28/03 Barcelona old town

The program begins at 17:00 in the lobby of the Fundación Enric Miralles.
Meet and greet your travel companions to break the ice.

Welcome drink
Visit of the Mercat Santa Caterina
Visit of the Palau de la Musica

Dinner

Day 2 – Fri, 29/03 Artists’ studios and visions of the 70’s
Visit to “Walden 7” together with one of the inhabitants
Visit to the Espacio Xavier Corbero

Lunch break in Miguel Aparici's studio

Visit of Miguel Aparici + Marco Romero studio
Visit of Arranz Bravo's studio

Dinner

Day 3 – Sat, 30/03 Montjuíc: Buildings for art
Visit to the Fundación Joan Miro incl. the exhibition
Walk through Jardins de Joan Brossa
Visit to the Mies van der Rohe Pavillion

Lunch break

Visit to the Caixa Forum building and exhibition
Visit to Frank Plant artist studio
Exclusiv visit of the Jaume Plensa exhibition in MACBA with the artist

Dinner

Day 4 – Sun, 31/03 End of program

Breakfast and departure

Travel:

Please note the trip begins and ends in Barcelona.
The journey to and from Barcelona must be organized by the participant and is not included in the price.

Prices

sculpture network members:  779 EUR (early bird price) until 17.2.2019
                                               829 EUR (normal price)                                             

Non-members:                       939 EUR (early bird price) until 17.2.2019
                                               989 EUR (normal price)

Single room supplement: 100 EUR

Minimum number of travelers required: 25

Services included in price:

• Travel group of max. 40 people from different countries, a nice mix of artists, curators and friends of the arts -  guarantees exclusiveness
• 3 nights in a 3 star hotel in a double room, including breakfast (Single room surcharge for 3 nights 126,00 EUR)
• 2 lunches (Friday and Saturday)
• 3 dinners (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) in typical restaurants
• All museums entrance tickets and guided tours
• Bus trip in comfortable modern coach
• Tour guides in English
• Tour assistance in English and German

Organizer

sculpture network service GmbH