Barcelona's culture is not only evident in its buildings, parks and outdoor sculptures, but also in its countless museum collections. Artists such as Picasso, Miró and Tàpies have museums which house collections of their works.

MUSEO PICASSO

Barcelona's Picasso Museum is the point of reference for understanding Pablo Picasso's youth and formative years. His first period, known as the Blue Period (1901-1904), is well represented there. The collection also contains a fabulous portrait of Señora Casals from his Pink Period. Other highlights include the series of works he created in Barcelona in 1917 and his interpretative series of Las Meninas by Velázquez, dating from 1957. In addition the museum houses an exceptional collection of engravings that Picasso produced between 1904 and 1972.

FUNDACIÓ TÀPIES

The Antoni Tàpies Foundation was set up in 1984 by the artist Antoni Tàpies to promote study and knowledge of modern and contemporary art. The Foundation opened its doors in 1990 in the head office of the old Editorial Montaner y Simón publishing house, the work of Modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, restored and fitted out by architects Roser Amadó and Lluís Domènech Girbau. This building was the first in Barcelona's Eixample to bring industrial design and technology, combining iron and open brick work, to the architectural fabric of the city centre.

FUNDACIÓN JOAN MIRÓ

The Joan Miró Foundation, set up by Josep Lluís Sert and inaugurated in 1975, contains the largest public collection of works by Joan Miró. It features almost 300 paintings, 150 sculptures, 9 tapestries, his complete graphic works and more than 7,000 drawings which show Miró's artistic development and the different techniques he used throughout his career. In addition to the permanent exhibition of a selection of this collection, the Joan Miró Foundation also lays on a programme of temporary exhibitions which feature the most diverse trends in contemporary art.

MUSEU NACIONAL D'ART DE CATALUNYA (MNAC)

The Palau Nacional is an emblematic building from the 1929 International Exhibition and home to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Art Museum of Catalonia). It is sited on Montjuïc mountain, an excellent location which affords magnificent and unique views over the city of Barcelona.