Museums: |
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The Museu d’Art de Girona was founded in 1976. This museum is located in the former Episcopal Palace next to the Cathedral. It has an important art collection dating form the pre-Roman period through the 20th century. Their collections of Roman and Gothic pieces are amongst the best in Catalonia, and it is indeed considered the third best Catalan museum as regard works from this period. The Girona Art Museum can also be considered as the Catalan museum -after the National Museum of Catalonia- which presents the most complete diachronic art collection. The Girona Art Museum is a basic infrastructure of the cultural fabric of the region of Girona, of the dynamism and quality of their temporary exhibitions. It is also the only one with the capacity to give an overall vision over time of what is one of the mains manifestations of human creativity: art. AN EXCEPTIONAL BUILDING: THE BISHOP’S PALACE Girona’s Art Museum is located within the Bishop’s Place, which is considered to be one of the finest buildings in the city. This collection of historic buildings is a complex and heterogeneous construction which has been developed over several different periods. The first references to the Palace date back to the 10th Century, describing a building which belonged to the Count of Borrell, being later transferred to the Bishop of Girona at the en of the Century. Some of the rooms preserved in the garden area date back to this period these being referred to in many documents as The Old Palace. Extensions and modifications were frequently undertaken throughout the centuries. There is written records of the Palace’s construction in the 12th Century. At the beginning of the 14 Century, the Throne Chamber, along with the tower façade and the prison were built, providing the building with a sense of fortification. The current framework added in the 16th Century, pertains to the Renaissance period; the coat of arms in the main façade, ant the apertures in the façade and the yard, also date back to the same period. In the 17th Century, a side wing overlooking the Lledoners Square was built, and in the 18th Century a new chapel was constructed while the Romanesque arches of an interior gallery were moved into the façade. THE LOCATION Girona’s Art Museum is located in the middles of the beautiful old district, surrounded by a number of impressive buildings such as The Cathedral, The Pia Almoina, The Àligues building (headquarters of the former and present University of Girona), Sant Domènec Church, ant the Arab Baths. Beside the Museum we find the narrow and faded Jewish Hall. THE ROMANESQUE The first section of the Museum hosts the Romanesque Art collection. In Gallery 1, we can find symbolic works such as "Les majestats de Sant Miquel de Cruïlles and de Sant Joan les Fonts" (12th C.), "Les arquetes de Sant Feliu de Girona" (13th C.), and of Sant Pere de Rodes (10th C.), the so-called "Capsa de Lledó" (11th C.) and, the exceptional work, the "Altar de Sant Pere de Rodes" (10th C.). Gallery 2 includes a collection of polychrome engravings (12th-14th C.) and a remarkable collection of works, among which "Sant Pere de Rodes" and "Sant Vicenç de Besalú" stand out. "La Mare de Déu d’Alp" (13th-14th C.) in addition to the "Vas de Sant Vicenç de Besalú" (9th-10th C.), the "Sagramentari de Sant Feliu de Girona" (12th C.), the "Homiliari de Beda" (11th C.) and especially, "la Biga de Sant Miquel de Cruïlles" (12th-13th C.) should be highlighted amongst all the engravings and liturgical items show on Gallery 3. Gallery 4 hosts a collection of sculptures originally belonging to nomerous city constructions, among which it is worth focusing on the features of a house in the "Carrer del Llop", The Column of the Lioness especially, due to its ornamentation, and a variety of works form the Canon of Gerona (12th-13th C.). We can also find on display, the "Altar de Sant Pere de Juïgues" (10th-11th C.), and the famous paintings from "L’Àbsis de Pedrinyà" (12th C.). The last pieces of Romanesque Art we find are a collections of works in gallery 5 (12th-13th C.). GOTHIC WORKS Gallery 5 accommodates the first of the Gothic Art collections, consisting of "The Jofre Gilabert de Cruïlles Sepulcre", the Cathedral of Gerona’s Cavalry Sculpture Collection (13th C.), the most extraordinary work being the "Martirologi de Poblet" (15th C.). Gallery 6 includes a sample of works from 13th-15th Century and a collections of alabaster images (14th-15th C.) amongst which it is worth mentioning "Mare de Déu de Palera" (15th C.). Gallery 7 contains remarkable samples of carvings from the 14th Century, some goldworks and the keys to the Pia Almoina building in Girona. The "Mare de Déu de Besalú" and the "Mare de Déu de Pontós" (15th C.) along with the execptional glass panels including the stained-glass window sketch of the Sea of Girona (14th C.) are also shown in the same Gallery. Gallery 8, which is at the same time The Throne Camber, gathers together one of the most important collections of gothic altarpieces from the 15th C. including Lluís Borrassà’s "Sant Miquel de Cruïlles", Sant Esteve de Canapost’s "Mare de Déu de la Llet", Empúries "Sant Miquel de Castelló" and "Sant Pere de Púbol" altarpiece, one of Bernat Martorell’s most significant works. THE RENAISSANCE AND THE BARROQUE In Gallery 9 we find a section devoted to he 16th Century Art, with a collection of the components that form the "Sant Feliu de Girona Altarpiece", as well as some especially outstanding panels painted by Perris Fontaines and Joan de Burgunya. Gallery 10 combines a collection of gold works and religious clothing. Amongst the paintings shown in Gallery 11, it is worth mentioning the works of Joan de Burgunya and the Priory of Sant Joan les Fonts Altarpiece. Gallery 12 shows Pere Mates’ pisctorial work: "Sant Pere", "Sant Pau", "Sant Pere de Montagut" and "Segueró" Altarpieces as the closing works of the 16th Century Art Period. Gallery 13 accomomodates a few samples of pictorial methods and materials. Gallery 14 offers a tour through 17th and 18th Century Art collection, with a large number of paintings, sculptures and liturgical items from the Baroque period, from which we could highlight Sant Felíu de Guíxols' "Sant Roc" image (17th C.). Gallery 15 exhibits a pottery and glass collection (17th-18th C.) made up of a collection of pharmaceutical jars and some plates from the so-called blue ceramics collection, along with a selection of glassware. 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES A collection of Catalan Romanesque paintings from the 19th Century can be found in Gallery 16, with such significant works as Joaquim Espalter’s "L’era cristiana", Benet Mercader’s "Colom a la Ràbida" and Ramon Martí Alsina’s "El setge de Girona de 1809". Late 19th Century and early 20th Century Catalan paintings are exhibited in Gallery 17, with realist works, landscapes, works from the School of Olot and Modernist works. There are also painting by Marià Vayreda, Josep Berga i Boix, Joaquim Vayreda and Santiago Rusiñol, in the same Gallery. Gallery 18 includes paintings from the 20th Century, offering works from various painters such as Prudenci Bertrana and Josep Aguilera. It is worth pointing out such works as Fidel Aguilar’s "Cap de Dona", and Mela Muttermilch’s "L’Onyar a Girona". MONOGRAPHIC GALLERIES The visit continues through the monographic galleries. The first one exhibits a sample of furniture including pieces from the 15th to the 19th Centuries. The adjoining galleries host a pottery collection including gothic, renaissance an baroque tiles as well as numerous craft tiles: metallic glint plates (13th-14th C.) blue ceramics (17th-18th C.) a collection of Quart black pottery and some ceramics from Girona. Likewise, a large range of glass works are on exhibition in the same gallery. The last monographic gallery is devoted to goldworks and liturgical clothing, the most significant piece of the collection being the "Lipsanoteca de Sant Andreu de Bestracà" (12th C.). |
