Running until 15th January 2023, the stunning Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera, an emblem for Barcelona, hosts one of the best exhibitions on Abstraction. The fantastic exhibition juxtaposes Spanish artists with international luminaries.

The Paths of Abstraction, 1957-1978, Dialogues with the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca features sculptures, paintings and works on paper reflecting the significance of Abstraction to art history. Spanish artists such as Antonio Saura, Rafael Canogar, Pablo Palazuelo and José Guerrero resonate with some of the greatest artists including Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, Alberto Burri, Willem De Kooning, Hans Hartung, Jean Dubuffet, Helen Frankenthaler or Jackson Pollock, a rare occasion to see such impressive names in the Catalan capital.

The show is presented by Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation in collaboration with Fundación Juan March, with stunning excerpts from the collection of the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español in Cuenca, deemed by Alfred H. Barr, founder and first director of MoMA, in 1967 “the most beautiful little museum in the world”. The exhibition looks at the genesis of this great museum and features loans from international institution, the Rothko estate and private collectors.

Brilliantly curated by Manuel Fontán del Junco, Sergi Plans and Marga Viza, the exhibition showcases the greatest developments of Abstraction including sub-movements such as action painting and abstract expressionism.

Highlights include a wonderful red, yellow, black and white mobile by Alexander Calder, Nicolas de Staël’s vibrant oil on canvas titled Paysage (Landscape) from 1953, a wonderful large-scale painting by Helen Frankenthaler Siren Hill, from 1966 and Jackson Pollock’s Silver over Black, White, Yellow and Red from 1948 which opens the show next to Lee Krasner’s amazing work, a nod to their intimate relationship too.

The selection parallels these works with paintings and sculptures by Spanish luminaries Antonio Saura, Manolo Millares, José Guerrero, and Pablo Palazuelo, and the main representatives of the Catalan informalism, such as Antoni Tàpies, Josep Guinovart or Albert Ràfols-Casamada, among others. These points of convergence and differences enrich the show in wonderful ways culminating with Mark Rothko’s masterpiece, an untitled Red painting from 1969.

Where else to feature The Paths of Abstraction than in Gaudí’s masterpiece La Pedrera itself? This incredible building was added to the prestigious list of Artistic Heritage of the City of Barcelona in 1962, when it was declared a Monument of National Historical and Artistic Interest by the Spanish government in 1969. UNESCO then classified it a World Heritage Site in 1984 for its outstanding universal artistic, creative and architectural value.

Fascinating rooms include the attic with its organic brick-arches. This magical space houses an exhibition devoted to Gaudí diving into his creative thinking and engineering techniques. Here, through fantastic audiovisuals, models, drawings, objects and designs, visitors can discover the most extraordinary features of his architecture and the keys to his genius. This room takes us to the upstairs terrace.

The viewing should end with a sunset moment on this imaginary rooftop, one of Barcelona’s most spectacular views of the city. The chimneys stand in line as giant ‘stone warriors’ inspire harmony and beauty to the urban landscape. Described as ‘ The guardians of the building’, they come to life through sound installations to tell visitors about the origin and inspiration of the building. The view over Gaudí’s other legendary monuments such as La Sagrada Familia is simply great. La Pedrera offers majestic views of Torre de Alta Mar and The Tibidabo too.

The walls of the Flower Courtyard on the ground floor of this spectacular house, located on the iconic Passeig de Gràcia, one of the most charming streets in the world, are a real spectacle of shapes, light and colours contrasting with the sober facade and resonating with the upstairs paintings featured in The Paths of Abstraction. The shades of colours as floral ceiling and wall motifs are amplified by the modern lighting yet showcasing Gaudí’s love for nature. A truly remarkable sight and place.

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