The Kunsthalle München opens the exhibition on 23 October 2026 Barcelona Moderna and presents works of Catalan Modernisme until 21 February 2027. The exhibition is being organised in partnership with the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona and is billed by the Kunsthalle as an overview of the city’s artistic development between around 1880 and 1914.
According to the Kunsthalle, Munich the exhibition brings together paintings, sculptures, furniture and architectural models. It shows how the interplay of industry, bourgeois patronage and urban development in Barcelona gave rise to new forms of design. The figures highlighted include Antoni Gaudí and Pablo Picasso, whose work and circles of influence exemplify the breadth of the subject, from ornamental architecture to early artistic breakthroughs in and around Barcelona.
Both institutions have confirmed the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya’s participation. According to the announcements, the loans include key works from Catalan collections, intended to make the range of Modernisme easy to understand. The Kunsthalle releases specific object lists and all curators’ names in its press materials in due course; further details about the provenance of individual works are expected at a later date.
For Spain, the exhibition in Germany has cultural policy significance: it brings the visual language of Modernisme, strongly associated with Barcelona, to a wide audience in Munich. The Kunsthalle also places the subject within European movements around 1900, including its dialogue with Jugendstil and Symbolism. The exhibition therefore brings into focus not only iconic architecture and interiors, but also the social and economic contexts in which they were created.
The immediate occasion is the opening in Munich. Confirmations from Kunsthalle München and MNAC cover the exhibition’s title, dates and general focus. The institutions have not made any projections for visitor numbers or possible tour venues, so these remain unknown. For more in-depth coverage, the official press information and accompanying catalogue should be consulted once available.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).