○ Unique Houses
Acadèmia de Belles Arts
Paseo de Isabel II, 1 – Barcelona
Art modern català
The Acadèmia de Belles Arts has its origins in the foundation of the Escola Gratuïta de Dibuix, in the middle of the 18th century. The aim of the school was to train students to make their mark in the powerful textile industrial network that was emerging in Catalonia.
History
Over the years, the school evolved and incorporated other artistic disciplines until it became the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi in 1989.
The Museu de la Real Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts is the direct successor of one of the first art museums that existed in Catalonia, that of the Llotja school, which created a museum with an educational aim, gathering works that served as model for students, such as works by teachers or retired students (in Madrid, Rome and Paris) and prize-winners. The collections were also expanded with works from the churches and convents affected by the French war and also those confiscated, as well as contributions from academics. All the artists in Catalonia have gone through the Acadèmia.
The Acadèmia’s collection
The collection is made up of academic and normative art, but, at the same time is essential for artists’ training. In fact, at the Acadèmia, we find Catalan art from the 18th and 19th centuries. It includes 750 paintings, 266 pieces of sculpture, medals and various art works; more than 5,000 drawings; around 1,500 architectural plans and drawings; about 1,000 prints, and more than 3,000 photographs.
With the creation of the Junta de Museus (Museums Board) in 1907, the Acadèmia’s best works went to the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). Currently, the MNAC houses the 92 finest works from the collection, including the paintings by Annibale Carracci from the church of San Giacomo in Rome or those of Saint Francis of Assisi by Antoni Viladomat. In total, 388 works from the Acadèmia are exhibited; the rest are preserved in the Acadèmia itself.
What will we visit?
The Academy Museum is a reference center for Catalan art from the 17th-19th centuries. The art genres of neoclassicism, nazarene, romanticism and realism are represented.