august-2009

Burning The Books: Barcelona
IS IT ART?
…DECIDE AT THE MACBA
“No work of art inside the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de
Barcelona) can quite live up to the wow factor of Richard Meier’s cool
iceberg of a museum. Inside, the shows are heavily political in concept and
occasionally radical to the point of inaccessibility. If you can’t, or won’t, see
the socio-political implications of, say, a roomful of beach balls, the MACBA
may leave you cold.”
Time Out Shortlist
“The imaginatively restored building is a prime example of the juxtaposition
of the old and new; originally built in 1714 on the site of the 14th-century
Augustinian convent, it was for hundreds of years an infamous workhouse
and lunatic asylum. At the back of the building, the C3 cafe-bar has
a sunny terressa on the square joining the CCCB to the MACBA.”
Rough Guide
BURN THE BOOKS: “True, Time Out Shortlist, no work of art inside can
live up to this iceberg – not just the exterior but the glacial inside. In fact,
there’s so much sexy white space it’s hard to fi nd the art itself.
One of the best exhibits in there was Rita McBride’s Arena; a fl imsy,
fabricated wooden structure that looks like it comes in a fl at-pack.
In the stinking heat of high summer it was an escape into cool air-con
and, yes, the “sunny terressa” was a great place to watch a skateboarder in the
square while I tore bites off a tasty ham and cheese piadina (fl atbread wrap)
for a reasonable 3.85 euros.
HOT TIP: This same terressa stays open till midnight on Fridays when
modern art and romance suddenly become great Barcelona bedfellows.
Do it. You’d be a lunatic not to.
FIND IT: Plaça del Angels 1
+34 934 120 810
www.macba.es
36JetAway