Domènech i Montaner, Tàpies and music

The Palau de la Música Catalana and the Tàpies Museum are offering this autumn a combined guided tour that will allow you to discover two of Barcelona's most emblematic buildings, both designed by the renowned modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner.

The tour begins at the Tàpies Museum, located in the former publishing house Montaner i Simón, a pioneering building in the integration of industrial technologies such as exposed brick and iron into the urban fabric. Built between 1880 and 1882, this space exemplifies the transition from the eclectic architecture of the 19th century to the new modernist style that was beginning to take hold in the city. Together with Antoni Gaudí's Casa Vicens, it is one of the few remaining examples of this way of building, which has practically disappeared.

The visit then continues to the Palau de la Música Catalana, a true jewel of Catalan modernism and the only concert hall declared World Heritage by UNESCO. Built between 1905 and 1908, the Palace stands out for the use of innovative architectural techniques, such as the integration of laminated profiles and a central metal structure reinforced with Gothic-inspired buttresses. It also stands out for its spectacular combination of stained glass windows, mosaics and sculptures, which turn this space into a global work of art, both visually and acoustically.

Museu Tàpies

Apart from allowing visitors to enjoy the history and architecture of two very important buildings, the visit also deepens Antoni Tàpies' relationship with music, a central element in his work. Tàpies felt a deep admiration for composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Richard Wagner or John Cage, and found in music an inexhaustible source of inspiration and creativity. This connection is reflected in his works, which convey the harmony and poetic expression of music, an influence that is evident in many of his works.

These visits are part of the 'Mirades del Palau' cycle, which seeks to offer new perspectives on the Palau de la Música Catalana through different themes. It is an initiative open to all types of public, but especially designed for those who already know these spaces and want to rediscover them with a new perspective. As part of the Tàpies Year celebration, this visit is a unique opportunity to delve into the relationship between art and music, while enjoying two of the most outstanding works of modernism.

Dates and times of the visits available here .

“Look, look deep! And let yourself be fully carried away by everything that resonates inside you what the gaze offers us, like the one who goes to a concert with a new dress and an open heart with the illusion of listening, of simply feeling with all its purity, without ever wishing that the sounds of the piano or the orchestra must necessarily represent a certain landscape, or the portrait of a general, or a scene from history, as one would often wish it were only the painting".

Strong Horse (Barcelona), no. 82 (January 1967).

Cartell de Palau 100, Antoni Tàpies (2000)