2025 promises to be a fascinating year for art lovers. Once again, Barcelona lives up to its name as one of the leading destinations for discovering remarkable stories, new creative perspectives and masterpieces by international artists. Embark on an exhibition agenda brimming with contrasts and join us in celebrating two anniversaries that we are especially excited about: the 30th anniversary of MACBA and the 50th anniversary of the Fundació Joan Miró!
Fundació Joan Miró: a 50-year artistic journey
2025 is a special year for the Fundació Joan Miró, which is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The festivities will kick off with Between Two Patios (27 February – 18 May), an exhibition that pays tribute to Fina Miralles, Susana Solano and Eva Lootz – three great artists who marked the history of the legendary Espai 10 exhibition hall. Concurrently with this event, from 13 March to 18 May, video art lovers will be offered a window into Asia through the works of Musquiqui Chihying and Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, winners of the prestigious Han Nefkens Foundation grant.
But that’s not all. From 11 June, the exhibition Painting the Sky: 50 Years of Fundació Miró Storieswill invite you on a fascinating journey through five decades of history of the Fundació Joan Miró, through a tour that highlights the dialogue between art and society. To finish off the year, from 17 October to 22 February, 2026, you’ll be able to enjoy Exchanges: Miró and the United States, which takes a unique look at the creative relationship between Miró and American artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Arshile Gorky, Alice Trumbull Mason, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, among many others.
Museu Tàpies: the imagination of Tàpies and Marta Palau’s tapestries
From February, the Museu Tàpieswill present an exhibition that delves into the artist’s own personal universe. Antoni Tàpies: The Imagination of the World explores the dialogue between Tàpies’ work and his literary, philosophical and musical influences, exploring his ability to transform the everyday into the poetic. The showing includes a selection of iconic works alongside lesser-known pieces that illustrate his fascination with matter, symbols and spirituality. In addition, the exhibition showcases Tàpies’ relationship with the Catalan and international cultural scene, including collaborations with writers, musicians and thinkers. This event offers a new perspective on Tàpies’ impact on contemporary art, and his ability to make the invisible visible.
In collaboration with the University Museum of Contemporary Art of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Museu Tàpies will also host the first international retrospective of Marta Palau, a disciple of Tàpies and Rothko who explored various artistic languages, with a particular focus on tapestry.
CCCB: Chris Ware, Lorca and Mercè Rodoreda
This year, the CCCB presents three major exhibitions that explore a range of artistic disciplines. The first, Chris Ware: To Draw is to Think, offers an immersive exploration of the world of comics through the works of Chris Ware, renowned for his complex and innovative visual narratives. Opening on 4 April, this showing will feature a comprehensive selection of his works, including original pages, design sketches and models. Ware, best known for his work Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, offers a critical and introspective view of contemporary society, exploring themes such as loneliness, memory and human relationships.
The following exhibition, “In the troubled air…”[textoshub1] , co-produced by the Museo Reina Sofía and curated by the philosopher Georges Didi-Huberman, delves into the power of emotions as a transformative and collective force. Inspired by the ideas of Federico García Lorca, the showing reflects on how certain works and moments can profoundly impact both individuals and communities. Opening on 8 May and featuring works by major artists such as Picasso, Goya, Pasolini, Man Ray and Giacometti, the exhibition presents a constellation of ideas and images that link art, politics and the psyche.
The final proposal of the year, Rodoreda, a forest, is a tribute to one of the most significant writers in Catalan literature. Opening in December, the exhibition explores the life and work of Mercè Rodoreda through documents, photographs, personal objects and original manuscripts. Visitors will be able to delve into the key elements of her narratives, her influences, and her lasting impact on contemporary literature. A special section of the exhibition will also be dedicated to her signature novel The Time of the Doves, and its adaptation into various artistic formats.
MACBA: 30 years and a renewed gaze
The MACBA celebrates its 30th anniversary with a renewal of its permanent collection that seeks to reflect on the representativeness of the museum’s classic works and their relevance today. The exhibition will showcase iconic pieces by artists such as Antoni Llena, Eulàlia Valldosera and Francesc Torres, alongside new acquisitions that address contemporary challenges. And that’s not all, as the festivities will also feature other commemorative activities, such as round table discussions and special guided tours!
The inauguration of the 30th anniversary collection also coincides with the exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica[textoshub1] , which will be open for viewing from 6 November 2025 to 6 April 2026. This project, developed in collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago, the Barbican Centre in London and the KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels and curated by the museum’s director, will bring together nearly 350 pieces from some one hundred artists.
MNAC: Zurbarán and much more
The three versions of Saint Francis of Assisi According to Pope Nicholas V’s Vision, the masterpieces by Francisco de Zurbarán currently held in the MNAC, the Musée de Beaux Arts in Lyon and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, will be brought together for the first time in the exhibition Zurbarán (sobre)natural[textoshub1] , set to open in March. The exhibition will also feature other works by Zurbarán, showcasing how the painter’s legacy continues to resonate today, inspiring artists such as Alfons Borrell, Toni Catany, Hernández Pijuan, Guinovart, Aurèlia Muñoz, Tàpies and Eulàlia Valldosera.
From May to September, the MNAC will also present the exhibition Tinta catalana contra Hitler[textoshub2] , which showcases the work of Mario Armengol Torrella, the only Spanish artist to work extensively creating Allied propaganda during the Second World War, creating some 2,000 caricatures while in the service of the British Ministry of Information, aimed at combating Hitler and the Axis powers. But that’s not all! Eugenia Balcells, Francesc d’A. Galí and Sim also take pride of place in this year’s unmissable exhibition lineup!
Museu Picasso: Picasso’s link with the Sala Gaspar and the universe of Alfred Jarry
This summer you can enjoy the exhibition Pablo Picasso and the Sala Gaspar (1955-1973), which highlights the friendship between Picasso and his wife, Jacqueline Roque, with the cousins Joan and Miquel Gaspar, owners of the eponymous gallery in Barcelona, which played a pivotal role in establishing Picasso’s legacy in the city.
Later in the year, at the end of November, the exhibition Ubú the Painter – Alfred Jarry and the Arts will also open at the Museu Picasso, bringing together a large selection of Jarry’s work that showcases the significance of his legacy. The exhibition features close members of Jarry’s inner circle, including Henri Rousseau, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Jean Dubuffet, as well as contemporary artists such as David Hockney and William Kentridge.
