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Festival Grec starts in Barcelona with two free concerts by local artists and the city's Municipal Band

ACN

Barcelona's summer Festival Grec is the city’s main yearly event for stage arts, taking place from the 1st to the 31st of July. On Tuesday, its unofficial opening took place with two free outdoor concerts by local artists, while on Wednesday the official opening ceremony on, with a new dance show by Catalan company 'La Veronal'. This year, during the 'unofficial inauguration' of the festival, the Catalan pop-rock band Obeses performed, presenting its new album 'Monsters and princesses' accompanied by the Barcelona Municipal Band. The concert was followed by Oques Grasses' show, a local band very popular among young audiences and winner by popular vote of the Enderrock 2014 award for best group revelation of 2013.

July 1, 2015 09:20 PM

FiraTàrrega and Catalan performing arts back to

ACN

FiraTàrrega, an international event for the performing arts held in Lleida, and the Catalan performing arts scene in general are considered "very inspiring" by British art professionals. On Sunday, they were both back at the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) in London, the UK capital’s leading event of free outdoor performing arts. In particular, five Catalan performing art companies and Mike Ribalta (FiraTàrrega's Head of professionals dept.) participated in the GDIF 2015 Showcase, a meeting of international programmers, in order to present their new projects and seek partnerships. This year, the British festival also has two Catalan productions in its programme: Toc de fusta and Brodas Bros.

June 29, 2015 09:47 PM

Plensa exhibition in Ceret contemplates relationship between body, soul and language

ACN

The Barcelona sculptor Jaume Plensa, one of the most internationally renowned Catalan artists, will have an exhibition from 27 June until 15 November at the Ceret Modern Art Museum in Northern Catalonia. The display, 'The Silence of Thought' ('El silenci del pensament'), is a selection of works that speak "of the body, the soul and the word", and one that will serve as an overview of his work. The sculptor is particularly famous for his sculptures of giant heads and people sitting in the foetal position. Plensa encourages visitors to "enjoy and have fun" because, thanks to the "intimate spaces and cosy human scale" of the museum and the use of light and shadows, they can fully understand his sculptural universe. The exhibition consists of three creative installations, each with their own room, and five monumental faces of alabaster and bronze.

June 27, 2015 11:49 AM

Institut Ramon Llull optimistic about future collaboration with Balearic Islands and Valencia

Violeta Gumà / Valentina Marconi

The Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) is a public body in charge of promoting Catalan culture and language abroad. On Thursday, "it expressed optimism for the first time" about a collaboration with the new Governments of Valencia and the Balearic Islands, both led by left-wing coalitions. The Director of the institute, Àlex Susanna, said that, following the May 2015 elections, "positive signs" are emerging but still could not confirm any conclusive agreement. According to him, the new political landscape opens a "great opportunity" to promote the international mobility of artists and intellectuals from Catalan-speaking territories. Asked about the new Head of Barcelona City Council – part of the consortium constituting the institute – Susanna said that he foresees "continuity" with the work of previous local Executives.

June 25, 2015 09:03 PM

Picasso museum in Horta de Sant Joan fully backed by Chairman of Picasso Museum in Paris

ACN

On Tuesday, Laurent Le Bon, Chairman of the Picasso Museum in Paris, visited Horta de Sant Joan (also known as 'Horta' or 'Orta'). This village – located in the Province of Tarragona (south Catalonia) – has a profound connection with the art of Picasso, as the Malaga-born artist lived and painted there during two periods of his life. During the visit – part of a tour of the most important Spanish spots for the painter – Le Bon expressed his full support for the creation of a new Picasso museum in this Catalan village, an initiative promoted by the Picasso Centre of Horta de Sant Joan. "In this place it is still possible to feel the spirit of Picasso", he said. "The artist did not travel much, but here we can see how he revolutionised the way the world is represented through art", he added. Commenting on the idea of opening a new museum in Horta, Le Bon said "it's a project that I believe in. I give it all my support and we will work together."

June 17, 2015 09:43 PM

Barcelona’s Sónar music festival set to start, with eclectic line-up and ambitious tech event

ACN

The 22nd edition of Barcelona’s Sónar festival – one of Europe's most well-known electronic music events – is about to kick off, taking place between the 18th and 20th of June. This year, Sónar's activities are divided into two main locations: Sónar by Day and Sónar+D (the professional event on digital creative industries) will be held in Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuic venue, with Sónar by Night taking place at the Fira GranVia L'Hospitalet venue. The festival features 147 concerts (morning, afternoon and night sessions) in addition to 120 activities related to Sónar+D, which this year makes an ambitious leap forward in comparison to previous editions. The eclectic 2015 line-up includes several internationally renowned artists. Among the most famous ones appearing on stage will be: The Chemical Brothers, Autechre, Skrillex, Hot Chip, Die Antwoord, Flying Lotus, Jamie XX, Arca and Duran Duran.

June 13, 2015 04:28 PM

The Fundació Joan Miró turns 40 expanding its permanent collection

ACN

The Fundació Joan Miró museum in Barcelona is to redistribute its rooms and include a new set of 20 works from the Miró family collection. The Mirós’ collection and the Japanese Kazumasa Katsuta collection, currently exhibited in a special room, will now be included in the permanent collection. The Fundació Miró is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an extensive programme of activities, including exhibitions, music and dancing. The 10th of June will be an Open Doors Day at the museum, and during the next months all those born in 1975 will be able to enter the Fundació for free.

June 5, 2015 04:10 PM

Read the latest updates and breaking news on culture and cultural topics from Barcelona and Catalonia. Keep up to date with the city’s museums dedicated to some of the biggest artists in the world such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Antoni Tàpies, as well as other institutions such as the National Art Museum (MNAC), the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona (MACBA), and exhibition spaces like the Contemporary Culture Center of Barcelona (CCCB), CiaxaForum, and CosmoCaixa.