Caixa Forum Barcelona
Caixa Forum Barcelona
Caixa Forum Barcelona
an EXHIBITION hall
Changing exhibitions on the subject of art and culture take place in the former factory. The textile factory was designed by the modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
My Rating:
The positives:
The Caixa Forum is an exhibition house. Sometimes, there are really great and interesting ones of international artists …
The negatives:
… and sometimes, the exhibitions are regional in nature, more aimed at the local Barcelonians or Catalonians.
Last Modified: 23.01.2024 | Céline
Caixa Forum Barcelona
Tickets
The details
at a glance
What is there
to see?
The largest bank in Spain, named “Caixa”, has opened Caixa Forums in many of the larger Spanish cities. These cultural centers host alternating exhibitions.
The Caixa Forum Barcelona is located in an old textile factory. The textile manufacturer Casimir Casaramona i Puigcercós contracted the famous architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to design it.
The Caixa Forum Barcelona hosts exhibitions on the subjects of art, architecture, culture, and technology.
A permanent installation is Joseph Beuys’ “Schmerzensraum” (Painful Room). The long title is: „Hinter dem Knochen wird gezählt – Schmerzraum“ (Behind the bone counts – pain room) and dates from 1983. It is one of the last works by Joseph Beuys, one of the most important German artists of the second half of the 20th century.
The roof of the factory can also be visited. From up here you have a nice view of Barcelona – especially of the MNAC museum and the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, which are in the immediate vicinity.
Caixa Forum Barcelona
A bit of history
The textile manufacturer Casimir Casaramona i Puigcercós commissioned the famous architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to build him a textile factory in Barcelona. Cadafalch completed the Casaramona factory in 1911 and received an award for creating the best industrial building of the year. Alongside Gaudí and Domènech i Montaner, the Cadafalch played an important role in the Art Nouveau movement in Barcelona.
However, just 7 years later the factory was closed again and served as a department store during the World’s Fair of 1929. Then, the factory was used as a warehouse, and from 1940 onward, the National Police used it as a garage for its many vehicles.
The Caixa Bank purchased the building in 1963 and decided to make use of its artistic background in 1992, when its conversion began, turning it into a place of culture and social education – The Caixa Forum.
Official website of the Caixa Forum (EN): caixaforum.org/es/barcelona
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2013 – 2024