barcelona

i spent another couple of days in barcelona visiting museums and such. it was very hot, but i had a good time. i went alone and stayed with a friend of vanesa's. i spent the days museum hopping and the evenings chatting over beers and sandwiches. the couch i slept on was only about half as long as i am, but i happily managed.

i visited La Pedrera (Casa Milá, by Gaudí) and la Fundació Tápies the first day.



the pedrera is amazing. above you can see the building from the street and here some of the sculptures on the roof. the self guided tour takes one through an exhibit about the building and about gaudí's approach and style. one then goes to the roof to experience an amazing view of the city, alongside the amazing view of the roof. there are organic sculptures and terraces throughout. then there is a tour of an apartment inside the building (no longer occupied). this is a truly amazing building.

the exhibits at the tápies museum were interesting. there was an exhibit of eva hesse that was built around her studio works - basically smaller studies and experiments, some finished and others not.
the second exhibit was called alma matrix and it featured the work of two artists unknown to me: Bracha L. Ettinger and Ria Verhaeghe.


the second day i went to the Fundació Miró, the Museu Picasso and the church of Santa Maria del Mar.

i was not disappointed at the fundació miró. i was greeted at the entrance by this sculpture.
inside and on the roof there is a very complete collection of miró's work, donated by himself, family and friends. there are also donations of artwork by many of his friends and there is a gallery that is dedicated to such works.

the museu picasso was mobbed so i was not super excited to be there. they have expanded it since i was last here and they now include some of his ceramic work. i wish there was more of his sculpture. i also remember that last time i was there his work was display in a manner that gave a better insight (for me anyway) into his evolution as an artist and what life experiences had particularly inspired and influenced him.

the church of santa maria del mar is impressive, as are most of the churches and many other buildings in this area.


tomorrow vanesa, her mother carmen, and i are going on a road trip. we are following the coast up to avignon, france. there is an exhibit of miquel barceló's work in avignon. we'll stop in a couple of groovy towns along the way and we are probably going to dine and sleep in sète. this should be fabulous!