Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art
One of the newest museums in the city, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art simultaneously accomplishes several purposes. First and foremost, it is an art gallery dedicated to featuring the works of the latter half of the 20th century and a platform for the exhibition of new expressions of art into the future. The museum was opened in 1995 and, according to the consortium, which established it, "is intended as a living centre, made to human scale -a cultural amenity making contemporary art accessible to the public, as a platform for teaching, investigation and study." The collection is primarily composed of pieces from the '40s to the '90s, with a strong emphasis on the period 1950-1989.

As you would expect, there is a strong representation of Catalonian and Spanish artists. Unlike the many modernist palaces, which serve as museums in Barcelona, this gallery is clearly contemporary. Designed by American Richard Meier, the building takes full advantage of light and space in its presentation of the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. The building helped to accomplish the other purposes of the gallery. Barcelona, a city known for its creative architecture, is constantly reinventing itself and the clean white lines of this building add a new and different face to the cityscape. The building is in the Raval district, a formerly proud neighborhood that has suffered the fate of so many inner-city districts in recent decades. The city's hope that infusing this neighborhood with a gallery to serve as the centerpiece for renewal already seems to be paying off.