Palau Nacional, Barcelona

Palau Nacional is the monumental building that served as the main venue for Barcelona’s 1929 International Exhibition. Its design belongs to Eugenio Cendoya and Enric Catà, with Pere Domènech i Roura overseeing the work; construction took place from 1926 to 1929. The project is identified with arquitectura eclèctica, while its decoration brought together many artists, including sculptors Enric Casanovas, Josep Dunyach, Frederic Marès and Josep Llimona, alongside painters such as Francesc d’Assís Galí and Josep Obiols.

The exhibition brought more than 5,000 works from across Spain into this palace. Since 1934, the building has housed the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the National Art Museum of Catalonia. Its later expansion, carried out between 1996 and 2004, created additional room for the museum’s complete collection. As you take in the palace, you are looking at a building designed for a major international event that continues to serve art inside its original setting.