Sites to See…Picasso Museum, Barcelona (Spain)

A visit to the Picasso Museum in Barcelona is essential to understanding the formative years of this iconic artist.

The permanent collection includes over 3,800 of his works, with a concentration on his early production. Half of the collection was donated by Picasso’s personal secretary, Jaume Sabartés, with the other half coming from the artist’s own collection.

The Picasso Museum is housed in five palaces that date from the 13th-15th centuries. It is located in the Gothic Quarter, just a short walk from the Cathedral.

• C/ Montcada, 15-23
• Barcelona, Spain
• Phone: (93) 256 30 00
• Website: Picasso Museum

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MUSAC: Castile and León Museum of Contemporary Art

The Castile and León Museum of Contemporary Art (aka MUSAC) is one of the most unique buildings in León, Spain, and that's really saying something. Based on a cuboid design by architects Emilio Muñón and Luis Moreno, this 21,000 sq. meter marvel explores meeting points between art and architecture through a contemporary viewpoint.

The building's large exhibition area is home to a truly diverse selection of art and architecture projects in different mediums. Pay a visit soon and you'll encounter an exhibit called Primer Proforma 2010 - an experiment that displays how space can be altered as the result of an artistic experience. To do this, a group of artists and 15 volunteers will mix painting, sculpture, performance and other mediums in an ever-changing display that honors creative practice.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Madrid Brings The Culture This Fall

While it's certainly no secret that Madrid is a major culture capital whose cache extends beyond Spain, sometimes there's so many great options going on that every traveler can find the perfect activity. This fall season is one of those times.

In addition to world-class museum offerings, Madrid will welcome 35 major concerts, including appearances from international stars such as Diana Krall and the Jonas Brothers. The 26th Annual Jazz Festival starts at the end of October and there are plenty of theatre, dance, and family entertainment options going on as well.

Here's the full scoop from the Tourist Office of Spain:

Kicking off September 29 at the Thyssen Bornemisza is a major exhibition of 70 paintings by Henri Fantin-Latour. The Museo del Prado is presenting a show about Maíno, one of the most original and least known 17th century Spanish painters on October 20. One of the most important figures in Croatia’s contemporary art scene, David Maljkovic, will be the subject of a show running through January 18 at the Reina Sofía. The focus is on architecture at the CaixaForum Madrid with a review of Richard Rogers obra running through October 18 and Palladio the Architect, the first exhibition in Spain devoted to this 16th century Italian architect which kicks off October 7.

On October 13, Diana Krall will perform at the Palacio de Congresos. The Jonas Brothers are set to appear at the Sports Palace on November 11 and Depeche Mode will be there on the 16.

Kicking off November 4, the city’s Autumn Festival celebrates its 26th year with 35 concerts, theatre, dance and circus performances. Thirty-five companies from 19 countries including: Spain, the U.S., Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, Portugal and Morocco, among many others, will perform at 11 theatres in Madrid and in ten municipalities. On the program are:

• Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (11/, 4, 5, 7, and 8)
• Compañía Israel Galván (11/5-8) (flamenco)
• Norwegian singer and guitarist Hanne Hukkelberg (11/5)
• Whale Watching Tour, musicians from the U.S., Australia and Iceland (11/6)
• Japanese pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto (11/11)
• Les ballets C de la B (11/12-14)
• The San Quentin Drama Workshop with Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape (11/21)
• Spanish soprano Marina Bollaín singing The Three Penny Opera by Brecht and Weill (11/27-29)

The 26th International Jazz Festival will kick off around the end of October and while the schedule has not yet been announced, there are usually 15 concerts and world-renowned musicians perform at some 20 jazz clubs.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

The Pottery Of Portugal

The Portuguese National Tourism Office sent over some great information about one of the country's artistic treasures: pottery. While Portugal is certainly well-known for its high quality crafts (ranging from leather, copper, silver and gold to tapestries, woodcarving and amazing glassware), pottery is the real core of the nation's creative production.

The Tourism Office writes:

People in Portugal have worked clay since prehistory - it is part of the very ground the nation is built on. Travel the country and one finds glazed tiles everywhere, on churches, houses, palace façades and in gardens. You see traditional red and black clay and every region has both. Many areas offer amazing museum reproductions such as Viana do Castelo and Coimbra and, there are whimsical and fun clay traditions such as the figures from Estremoz, the greenware from Caldas, or the Rooster of Barcelos.

Caldas da Rainha, just north Lisbon, is the center of Portuguese pottery due to the abundance of clay deposits. Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, opened a factory in 1884 that makes the town, Fabrica de Faianca, famous. The factory still puts out a variety of cabbage and greenware, figurines, and fanciful pottery.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Nonstop To Valencia

Starting June 5, Delta Airlines will offer direct flights to Valencia - an exotic, beautiful locale on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Flights will depart four times a week from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and the timing couldn't be any better. Valencia is rapidly becoming one of the must-see Spanish destinations.

If a trip to Valencia is in your cards, we advise you to catch the Fallas (the city's main festival taking place in March). Also, make time for a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences - a futuristic cluster of museums that features an opera house, planetarium and plenty of art.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Sorolla and Matisse in Madrid This Summer

The Spanish Tourist Office just sent over some great news for fans of art. This summer, Madrid will feature two major exhibitions featuring Joaquín Sorolla and Henri Matisse - two of the most renowned and visually-appealing artists in history.

The Sorolla exhibit opens on May 26th and lasts through the 6th of September at the Prado. The exhibit will focus on the artist's great works and includes his Visions of Spain series of 14 panels that he produced for the Hispanic Society of America. This is his biggest show in the last half century.

Starting June 9th, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza houses "Matisse: 1917 - 1941" - a showcase of rare works that cover painting, sculpture and drawing. The Tourist Office writes, "Marked by the shadow of World War I and the forebodings of the next world conflict, the period was one of rapid ascent for Matisse, and this exhibition aims to present the artist’s central role in the flourishing of modern art during this era. More than 50 museums and private collections have lent works – many never before exhibited in Spain – for the show, which will run through September 20."

ILC offers many great Madrid hotels that are within walking distance of these great exhibits.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

What's New In Madrid (pt. 3)

Two of the best museums in Madrid (or anywhere, for that matter) are the Museo del Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza. Let's check out what's going on at these legendary institutions.

Museo del Prado recently completed a $208 million expansion. The biggest exhibition right now is called "Among Gods and Men: Classical Sculpture from the Albertinum in Dresden and the Museo del Prado." It features 46 classical sculptures from the Dresden museum (for the first time ever). Other upcoming exhibits include a Francis Bacon retrospective, a Victorian painting survey and a special show of murals by Sorolla.

You can click here for more information.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza also recently expanded and is now twice its original size. Ongoing and upcoming exhibitions include "The Shadow" - a depiction of shadows in art throughout history - as well as a major Matisse retrospective that runs from June 9th to September 20th.

You can click here for more information.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

What's New In Madrid? (pt. 2)

Another great recent addition to Madrid's cultural scene is the CaixaForum. Just opened, this $96 million marvel will hold art exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, concerts and conferences. The renovation was completed by Herzog and de Meuron and converted this former 1899 electrical power station into a landmark cultural hotbed.

For more information on the architecture, please click here.

Here's an excellent behind-the-scenes video:

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

What's New In Madrid?

Madrid, the vibrant capital of Spain, sets a high mark for culture and nothing is more interesting than the city's world-class museums. In this multi-part series, we'll start with the Museum Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

Reina Sofia is Spain's majestic modern art museum. They are currently planning a large modification and restoration project throughout the interior and exterior of the building, while also making a large investment in new art acquisitions. A recently-opened series of sixth floor terraces will host a series of happenings, poetry readings and dance performances that are free to the public.

As far as exhibitions, there is a major retrospective of Julio González (a prominent 20th century sculptor) running through June 1st. Paul Thek shows his American cult art through and Eulàlia Valldosera presents her conceptual material until April 20th. Other upcoming shows include sculptures by Paul Sietsema and Juan Muñoz and multimedia installations by Fischli and Weiss.

After seeing these shows, hungry art lovers can enjoy lunch at the museum's restaurant, presided over by Sergi Arola, one of Madrid's most inventive chefs.

For more information, please visit Reina Sofia online by clicking here.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

El Greco: A True Original

Any initial research into Spain will demonstrate a rich history of unique art - from gothic and religious perfection to the modern stylings of Picasso - and El Greco really stands on his own as one of the true classics. A painter, sculptor and architect working during the renaissance, El Greco (aka The Greek) touched on many styles such as Mannerism and Venetian Renaissance. His influence really became fomidable in the 20th century when poets and painters in the Expressionist and Cubist styles picked up memes from his work and took them into the modern era.

For more information on El Greco, check out his wikipedia entry.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Street Shots: Madrid

One of our main interests at ILC has always been street photography. What a great, innovative way to capture a city in its pure state! With improvised snapshots and a wandering eye, photographers can provide an unparalleled view into unique populations.

We came across the Flickr page for a user named Publikaccion this morning. This is a whimsical set of street photographs in Madrid that includes citizens and tourists from all walks of life while demonstrating vibrant urban scenes in an uncontrived and spontaneous style. If you're thinking about booking a trip to Madrid with us, this black-and-white set should surely get you in the mood.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Antonio López García

There's nothing like some great Spanish art in the summer, so today International Lodging Corporation is featuring the legendary work of Antonio López García. García was born in Tomelloso in 1936, and has consistently produced masterfully realist paintings that represent complex human relationships in the midst of Spanish history.

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid houses many of the classic García pieces. His work is also currently on display in a major American retrospective at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.