New art gallery opens in one of Barcelona’s most famous buildings

The first exhibition will feature a London-based artist

The Unesco world heritage site has become a must-see for many visitors to Barcelona (Getty Images)

A new art gallery has opened in one of Barcelona’s most popular tourist destinations.

Casa Batlló, designed by venerated Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, is one of the best-known buildings in the Spanish city. It is renowned for its Art Nouveau facade, earning it the nickname the “House of Bones”.

The Unesco World Heritage site is now home to an art gallery, which will house contemporary art exhibitions.

The new gallery occupies what was once residential apartments on the second floor, formerly closed-off to the public.

The floor has been restored, with original features, such as woodwork and stained glass, restored.

Some modern additions have also been made, including a curved metal ceiling that has been screen printed with ripples to evoke a drop of water on a calm lake.

The gallery, known as Casa Batlló Contemporary, will host two art exhibitions per year, debuting with “Beyond the Facade”, an exhibition by United Visual Artists, a London-based art practice founded by Matt Clark.

For their exhibition, on until 17 May, United Visual Artists will explore life cycles through light and movement, inviting visitors to glimpse themselves within the artwork.

Casa Batlló Contemporary started as an artistic programme that connects today's artists with Gaudí's legacy, but the rotating exhibits will now allow for these cutting-edge works to be displayed.

Maria Bernat, director of Casa Batlló Contemporary, says the gallery “aims to foster a dialogue between the past and future, situating Antoni Gaudí’s legacy within a contemporary framework.

“Through art and architecture, it explores his radical vision with present-day thinking, remaining faithful to his spirit of innovation and disruption while engaging with Barcelona’s dynamic artistic landscape.”

The opening of the new gallery comes the same year that another of Gaudí’s masterpieces, the Sagrada Familia, is expected to be completed, some 144 years after work first started in 1882.

Upon the completion of the final 18 towers, the Sagrada Familia will become the tallest Catholic church in the world.

Read more: Sagrada Familia to host series of events celebrating architect Gaudí