Art exhibitions to see in Barcelona summer 2025
While Barcelona is often synonymous with its sunshine and beaches, the city’s art scene makes just as strong a case for a visit this summer. Renowned institutions like the Museu Picasso, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the Fundació Joan Miró, and the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) present an exciting lineup of exhibitions. From masterpieces by Zurbarán to major retrospectives of Fernando Botero and Carlos Motta, here is our guide to the must-see art exhibitions in Barcelona this summer.
Collection: Prelude. Poetic Intention/ Carlos Motta: Pleas of Resistance
Eva Fàbregas, MACBA Collection: Prelude. Poetic Intention. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) presents two compelling exhibitions this summer. MACBA Collection: Prelude. Poetic Intention challenges traditional museographic practices by placing the artwork at the centre, focusing on its will, energy, and poetic intention. The exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the collection, highlighting recent acquisitions and new works, and invites reflection on alternative discourses and the relationship between art and its subjects, inspired by Édouard Glissant’s idea that art must reflect “the way of the world.” The work of 139 artists features in this exhibition.
Pleas of Resistance featuring over twenty-five years of work by Carlos Motta, MACBA. Image credit MTotoe.
Pleas of Resistance spans over twenty-five years of work by Carlos Motta, focusing on the body and sexual dissidence as powerful forms of political expression. Through self-portraits, performances, and video installations, Motta critically engages with historical archives and addresses the politics of sexuality, gender, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, while exploring collective identity, self-representation, and the politics of care.
Date: Collection: Prelude. Poetic Intention: until 15 September 2025; Carlos Motta: until 26 October 2025. Location: Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Plaça dels Àngels, 1, 08001 Barcelona, Spain. Price: from 10.80 EUR. Concessions available.
Marta Palau: My Paths Are Earthly
My Paths Are Earthly by Marta Palau, Museu Tàpies. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: My Paths Are Earthly at Museu Tàpies (formerly Fundació Antoni Tàpies) presents the work of Marta Palau, a Catalan-Mexican artist whose practice is rooted in her experiences of migration and exile. The exhibition features a selection of her installations, tapestries, and sculptures, many of which incorporate natural materials like jute and blue corn, reflecting her connection to the land and indigenous traditions. Influenced by her training with textile master Josep Grau-Garriga, Palau’s work blends avant-garde techniques with indigenous cosmologies. The show also includes previously unseen archival materials, providing a deeper understanding of Palau’s creative process and the cultural and social contexts that shaped her art.
Date: until 6 July 2025. Location: Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Carrer d’Aragó, 255, 08007 Barcelona. Price: from 8 EUR. Concessions available. Book now.
Fernando Botero: A Universal Master
A Universal Master, the most comprehensive exhibition of Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s work ever held in Spain at Palau Martorell. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: A Universal Master at Palau Martorell is the most comprehensive exhibition of Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s work ever held in Spain. Featuring more than 110 pieces—many of which are being shown publicly for the first time—the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to explore Botero’s artistic evolution. Curated by Lina Botero and Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz, the show highlights his versatility across a range of media, including oil paintings, sculptures, watercolours, and drawings. Among the notable works are La Menina, según Velázquez, previously kept in Botero’s Paris studio, and Homenaje a Mantegna, a recent discovery from a private collection in the United States. The exhibition is organised by Palau Martorell and Arthemisia, in collaboration with the Fernando Botero Foundation.
Date: until 30 June 2025. Location: Carrer Ample, 11, 08002 Barcelona, Spain. Price: from 14 EUR. Concessions available. Book now.
Zurbarán (super) Natural
MNAC – Zurbarán (super) Natural, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), in collaboration with the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, presents a groundbreaking exhibition that reunites all three versions of Saint Francis of Assisi according to Pope Nicholas V’s Vision by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664). This rare opportunity highlights the subtle differences and artistic depth of each painting, with the MNAC’s version recently restored to reveal original details. The exhibition also includes Zurbarán’s Still Life with Vessels, shown in two versions from the Prado and MNAC, illustrating his ability to present the spiritual significance of everyday objects. The show further demonstrates the continued relevance of Zurbarán’s work, drawing connections with contemporary artists such as Alfons Borrell, Toni Catany, and Joan Hernández.
Date: 21 March – 29 June 2025. Location: Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, 08038 Barcelona. Price: from 10 EUR. Concessions available. Book now.
Miguel Milá. Dissenyador (pre)industrial
An exhibition celebrating the career of one of Spain’s design pioneers, Miguel Milá Sagnier, opens at Disseny Hub Barcelona in June 2025.
#FLODown: La Fábrica and the Madrid Design Festival will celebrate the career of one of Spain’s design pioneers, Miguel Milá Sagnier, with the exhibition Miguel Milá. (Pre)industrial Designer, opening at Disseny Hub Barcelona. Featuring over 200 pieces, prototypes, plans, and recent works, the exhibition offers a unique insight into Milá’s life and legacy, highlighting his pivotal role in the modernisation of Barcelona’s design scene. With a career spanning more than 70 years, Milá has garnered prestigious accolades, including the National Design Award and the Compasso d’Oro Internazionale, cementing his place as a key figure in industrial design history. The exhibition delves into his creative process, which is influenced by craftsmanship, DIY principles, and a commitment to simplicity, while also showcasing his significant contributions to public spaces, where design and comfort enhance everyday life.
Date: 19 June 2025 – 21 September 2025. Location: Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes, 37-38, 08018 Barcelona. Price: from 6.20 EUR/ 4.20 EUR. Book now.
Chris Ware: Drawing is Thinking
Chris Ware. Drawing is Thinking, Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB).
#FLODown: Drawing is Thinking celebrates the work of one of the most innovative modern comic book artists, Chris Ware, whose drawings offer a reflection on human existence. The show presents a chronological overview of his career, featuring original works, animations, objects, and sculptures, highlighting his pioneering approach to comic book storytelling. Ware’s major works, including Jimmy Corrigan, Building Stories, and Rusty Brown, tackle complex issues such as human emotions, racism, consumerism, and the societal impacts of politics. The exhibition concludes with an interactive space where visitors can contribute to a collective comic story set in Barcelona, inspired by Building Stories, alongside a reading area and a library showcasing Ware’s works and those that influenced him.
Date: 3 April - 9 November 2025. Location: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), Carrer de Montalegre, 5, 08001 Barcelona. Price: from 6 EUR , with reduced tickets available at 4 EUR. Book now.
Paula García-Masedo: To See After Nature
To See After Nature by Paula García-Masedo, Fundació Joan Miró. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: At Fundació Joan Miró, To See After Nature by Paula García-Masedo (until 29 June 2025) offers a quietly radical entry in the Espai 13 programme. Drawing on architectural thinking and material ecologies, García-Masedo reconfigures our relationship with the natural world—inviting viewers to look beyond surface aesthetics and consider the structures that shape how nature is perceived, categorised, and consumed. Also on show at the Fundació Joan Miró are Opening the Archive 05. Miró. Improvised Supports (until 15 June), which delves into Miró’s use of unorthodox materials and preparatory practices, and Prats Is Quality (13 May–29 June), a photographic essay by Joaquim Gomis capturing the visual language of modernity with sharp, documentary precision.
View from Fundació Joan Miró. Image credit MTotoe.
While there, it’s well worth taking time to explore the rest of the building—Josep Lluís Sert’s modernist design remains a masterwork in its own right—and the sculpture-studded terraces that frame sweeping views over Barcelona.
Date: until 29 June 2025. Location: Fundació Joan Miró, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, Sants-Montjuïc, 08038 Barcelona, Spain. Price: from 15 EUR. ‘To See After Nature’ is free to visit. Book now.
Pablo Picasso and Sala Gaspar
Pablo Picasso and Sala Gaspar to open at Museu Picasso exploring the connection between the renowned artist and the influential Sala Gaspar gallery in post-war Barcelona.
#FLODown: Pablo Picasso and Sala Gaspar at the Museu Picasso explores the intimate connection between the renowned artist and the influential Sala Gaspar gallery in post-war Barcelona. This exhibition brings together rarely seen works and archival material, shedding light on Picasso’s engagement with Catalan culture during a formative period in his career. It also highlights the pivotal role local galleries played in shaping his international success, providing a unique opportunity to understand how the Barcelona art scene contributed to his artistic evolution.
Date: 26 June – 26 October 2025. Location: Museu Picasso, Carrer Montcada, 15-23, 08003 Barcelona. Price: from 12 EUR. Concessions available. Book now.
Carles Gabarró: The fragility of painting in the age of fast food
The Fragility of Painting in the Age of Fast Food by Carles Gabarró, Can Framis Museum. Image credit MTotoe.
#FLODown: The Fragility of Painting in the Age of Fast Food is a major exhibition at the Can Framis Museum, showcasing the work of Barcelona-born artist Carles Gabarró. With a career that extends over four decades, his practice explores material painting through the repeated use and transformation of everyday motifs. His distinctive style moves between figuration and abstraction, revealing a constant play between repetition and change. The exhibition is structured around four key themes—Magma, Libraries, Factories, and Beds—featuring works from the 1980s to the present day.
Date: 4 February - 1 June 2025. Location: Can Framis Museum Carrer Roc Boronat 116-126, 08018 Barcelona. Price: from 10 EUR. Concessions available. Book now.
Rubens and the Baroque World
Jacques Jordaens, Tres músicos ambulantes, 1645-50. Óleo sobre tabla © Museo Nacional del Prado. Archivo Fotográfico
#FLODown: Opening at the end of May, Rubens and the Flemish Baroque Artists at CaixaForum Barcelona is a major exhibition exploring the creative legacy of Peter Paul Rubens and his influence on 17th-century Flemish art. Featuring nearly 60 works—including paintings, drawings, and engravings—the exhibition showcases masterpieces by Rubens and his contemporaries, such as Van Dyck, Jordaens, and Brueghel, drawn from the collections of the Museo Nacional del Prado. The exhibition is organised into seven thematic sections, including “Divine Passions,” “Image and Counter-Reformation,” and “Still Life and Nature Scenes,” offering a comprehensive insight into the intellectual depth and stylistic innovations of the Flemish Baroque movement.
Date: 29 May - 21 September 2025. Location: CaixaForum Barcelona, Avenida de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-8, 08038 Barcelona. Price: from 6 EUR/ 5.70 EUR for online bookings; free for CaixaBank clients and children under 16.
For more on the best of the city’s cultural landmarks and events this summer, we encourage you to explore Turisme de Barcelona’s official website barcelonaturisme.com.
Click here to discover where we dined during our time in Barcelona and Garraf.
