Casa Batlló Opens Contemporary Art Gallery in 2026

Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudí's modernist masterpiece in Barcelona, will open a 230-square-meter contemporary art gallery on its second floor starting January 31, 2026. This marks the first time the second floor is accessible to the public. Designed by studio Mesura, the space will host two exhibitions per year, beginning with 'Beyond the Façade' by London collective United Visual Artists (UVA), founded by Matt Clark. UVA will also project a new video mapping on the building's façade. The initiative coincides with the 2026 centenary of Gaudí's death and the 20th anniversary of Casa Batlló's UNESCO World Heritage listing (2025). Casa Batlló, owned by the Bernat family since the 1990s, opened to the public in 1995 for events and became a cultural destination in 2002, attracting nearly 2 million visitors in 2024. The new gallery continues the Casa Batlló Contemporary program, which previously featured video mappings by Refik Anadol (2023) and installations by Kengo Kuma (2021). Mesura preserved original architectural elements while adding a sinuous metal structure evoking a water droplet. Architect Carlos Dimas of Mesura stated: 'Intervening in a Gaudí building is both a dream and an enormous responsibility. Our goal was to create an echo of his work, a whisper that enriches his universe without altering it.' The gallery will be accessible both to Casa Batlló ticket holders and via separate entry for exhibitions.