What has Catalonia got to inspire universal geniuses?

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In the Catalan cultural universe, museums, galleries, literature, architecture orbit around the universal geniuses. They were sublime in different disciplines and shared the fact of having been born or lived in Catalonia, and above all of having left the footprint of their creation forever.

Salvador Dalí’s brushstrokes brought colour to the world of dreams. Also onyrical are the musical compositions of Pau Casals, some turned into references of peace. Like Gernika, which was simply the name of a village until Picasso turned it into a Cubist cry against the terror of war. Rooted in the scenery of Mont-roig, Joan Miró included it in his work, combined with daily objects. He developed a plastic expression not ascribed to any particular movement. Josep Pla, on the other hand, explored the limits of adjectives. In a very different field, though guided by the same concerns of discovery, Antoni Gaudí stood out with his organic architecture.

Believe it or not, visiting Catalonia will help you to get to know their creations better. In some cases, you will literally enter them, for example the modernist buildings of Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch. The paintings, the books, the sculptures will take on a new meaning as you pass, see, touch and feel the corners that inspired them and the homes where their authors grew up.

Do you wonder what Catalonia has that has inspired so many universal geniuses? The answer, when you visit.

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Visiting Catalonia will give you a first hand view of its geniuses’ best creations.

The Mae West room in the Dalí Theatre-Museum. (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Vaults of the nave of the Expiatory Church of La Sagrada Familia. (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Ceiling of the Palace of the Wind in the Dalí Theatre-Museum. (© Imagen M.A.S.)

"Personaje delante del sol" (1968). Joan Miró. Fundació Joan Miró. Barcelona (© Jordi Pareto)

Sculpture "Núvol i cadira"(Cloud and chair), 1988, by Antoni Tàpies, at the top of the facade of the Antoni Tàpies Foundation. (© Lluís Carro)

Rooftop of Casa Milà, La Pedrera. (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Gallery on the façade of the Baró de Quadras palace, by Puig i Cadafalch. (© Nano Cañas)

Do you want to know more about the universal geniuses?

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It is not very clear why visiting a corner that inspired a genius is such a special moment. In Catalonia you can experience it, and also enjoy the work of these universal geniuses.

Picasso

Picasso, who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of all time, lived in Catalonia during the decisive years of his training.

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Miró

The artwork of Joan Miró has kept its capacity to amaze its viewers intact. Its forceful symbolism, its bright colours and its enigmatic signs form...

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Dalí

The figure of Salvador Dalí has a close relationship with L'Emporda: Figueres, the city he grew up in, which is where he designed his theatre-museum.

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Gaudí

The architecture of Antoni Gaudí never fails to surprise and fascinate us, whether it is through its structural elements or its use of materials and the originality of its decorative elements.

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Pau Casals

Pau Casals was a great cellist and El Vendrell preserves his legacy: his birthplace, with his personal effects, and the Auditori Pau Casals, which programmes performances and concerts.

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Puig i Cadafalch

Late in the 19th century, the Catalan school of architecture pushing out classic tradition to bring in a modern style of Gothic art. Josep Puig i Cadafalch used it as a model to build residences, houses and industrial buildings.

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Visit their museums

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The daily objects, the landscape that inspire them, the friends, the evolution of the work These are elements that shape the artistic work of the universal geniuses. To understand the artists better, discover them in their museums.

Centre Miró de Mont-Roig del Camp

http://www.centremiro.com

The Joan Miró visitor's centre in relation with Mont-roig, which exhibits replicas of the painter's work, an original tapestry, videos on his life and the testimony of people who knew him.

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Gothic courtyard in Palau Aguilar, now the Picasso Museum. (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Museu Picasso

http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat

Located in an ensemble of Gothic palaces, the Museu Picasso de Barcelona holds a valuable and representative collection of works by Pablo Picasso. Amongst others it is possible to view Ciencia y caridad, El Arlequín or the collection of Las Meninas.

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Plaça de l’Ajuntament and church of Sant Joan (© Miguel Raurich)

Centre Picasso d'Horta de Sant Joan

http://www.hortadesantjoan.cat/picasso/centre-picasso

The Centre Picasso holds the exhibition of Picasso's works and explains the experiences from the two stays he had in the village. It is also home to the facsimile reproductions of the works that the artist created in Horta.

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Gardens of the Joan Miró Foundation (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Fundació Joan Miró

http://www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org

The Joan Miró foundation was opened in 1975 and was converted, at the artist's express wishes, into a centre for the promotion of contemporary art which organises temporary exhibitions, conferences, seminars, workshops and children's theatre.

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Palace of the Wind room in the Dalí Theatre-Museum. (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Teatre-Museu Dalí

https://www.salvador-dali.org

It was Dalí himself who planned and designed this theatre-museum. Located in Figueres (Costa Brava), his hometown, Dalí has left his mark in the dreamlike and surrealist atmosphere which encompasses the entire building, and in works as emblematic as Galatea of the Spheres or facilities tailor-made by the artist.

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Detail of the Galatea Tower, in the Dalí Theatre-Museum. (© Nano Cañas)

Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí

http://www.dali-estrate.org

The Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí is comprised of three museums, all on the Costa Brava: the Castell de Púbol, the foundation headquarters, the Teatro-Museo Dalí in Figueres,and the Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí in Portlligat.

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Interior of the Antoni Tàpies Foundation (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Fundació Antoni Tàpies

http://www.fundaciotapies.org

The Antoni Tàpies foundation was created by the artist himself to promote modern and contemporary art. It has the most complete collection of works by this renowned artist with more than 300 pieces from all his artistic periods.

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Night view of the Gaudí Center (© Miguel Raurich)

Gaudí Centre Reus

http://www.gaudicentre.cat/

Museum centre dedicated to Antoni Gaudí, the city's beloved son. The exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through the artist's life and his relationship with Reus and gives insight into his creative method. Moreover, it offers the possibility of interacting with his work thanks to state-of-the-art audiovisual technology.

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Casa-Museu Pau Casals

http://www.paucasals.org

Museum dedicated to Pau Casals. It is located in the house the construction of which was commissioned by the famous musician and composer in 1909, overlooking the sea on Sant Salvador beach. It is possible to take a journey through his professional and private life.

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Casa-museu modernista Domènech i Montaner (© Imagen M.A.S.)

Casa-Museu Lluís Domènech i Montaner

http://casamuseu.canetdemar.org

The house that the modernist architect Domènech i Montaner built in Canet de Mar, along with the Rocosa country house, are the headquarters of an interesting museum dedicated to him. Exhibitions related to the artist and modernism are organised on a regular basis.

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Casa Puig i Cadafalch

www.argentona.cat

The house is located in the square Plaça de Vendre in Argentona. It is where the architect spent his summers from a young age. It became his refuge upon returning from exile in France after the Spanish Civil War.

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Roman aqueduct of Les Ferreres or Pont del Diable (Devil's Bridge). (© Lluís Carro)

Les Ferreres aqueduct - Pont del Diable

http://www.pontdeldiabletarragona.com

The Les Ferreres aqueduct is the main attraction of this park. Also known as Pont del Diable, it is over two hundred metres long and can be found on the left banks of the Francolí river.