Art & Architecture At Its Best – Tailor-made
Holidays In Spain
By Kieron Sellens
Spain may conjure up pictures of sunloungers, sandcastles and
beer, but arguably the best thing about the country is its
incredible collection of art. Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and
Diego Velazquez were all born here, and a luxury holiday in
Spain, tailor-made to explore the best of Spanish art, is the
ideal way to explore this country’s impressive galleries and
remarkable architecture.
If you want to sample the best of Spanish art, you can’t go
wrong with a luxury holiday in Spain’s capital, Madrid or a
short break to Bilbao to take in its magnificent Guggenheim
Museum. Alternatively you could take a tailor-made holiday to
Spain’s artistic and architectural mecca, Barcelona, perhaps
incorporating a stay in a luxury Spanish villa.
Madrid
If you’re looking for the right location for an absorbing
luxury holiday in Spain, Madrid is considered one of the top
European destinations for visiting galleries. The Golden
Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado, has three
galleries within a few minutes’ walk of each other.
First of all, there is the Prado Museum, with its unsurpassed
collection of paintings by Baroque artists Velázquez and Goya.
The Prado is the most famous of the three. The other two museums
are the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum,
where Picasso's Guernica hangs. For anyone interested in modern
art, a tailor-made holiday to Spain would be incomplete without
a viewing of this dark masterpiece.
Barcelona
Luxury holidays in Spain’s magical city of Barcelona are hugely
popular, one of the main reasons being its extensive range of
fabulous art galleries. Stay in a boutique hotel near to the
famous Ramblas, or spread out in a luxury Spanish villa, and
embark on a tour of all the best exhibitions.
Among the best of the modern art galleries are the Fundació
Joan Miró, the Picasso Museum and the Fundació Antoni, and the
Museu Picasso features many of Picasso's early works. The Dali
Museum is a short train journey from Barcelona and an important
addition to a tailor-made holiday in Spain.
But the most visible art to be seen in Barcelona is in the
design of its buildings. The highly original and fabulous work
of architect Antoni Gaudi can be seen and explored throughout
the city., but Gaudi’s best-known building is the immense but
still unfinished church, the Sagrada Familia. This elaborate
building, which looks like something out of a fairy tale, is a
must see for any art holiday in Spain. Tailor-made itineraries
should also include Gaudi’s wonderful Park Guell and Casa Mila
building.
Bilbao
Bilbao was not a traditional destination for holidays in Spain,
luxury or otherwise, until what is now the most recognisable
feature of Bilbao, the Guggenheim Museum, opened in 1997. Built
in shiny titanium, this fantastic building houses an unmatched
collection of 20th century art, which rotates between Bilbao,
Venice and New York.
US architect Frank Gehry based the design of the Guggenheim on
the shapes of a fish and a boat, two important elements in the
history of this former industrial city, whose chief activities
were shipbuilding and fishing. The museum has injected new life
into the city and tourists from all over the world are now
flocking to take luxury holidays in Spain’s new area of cultural
interest, Bilbao.
As well as being home to the famous Guggenheim Museum, the
city’s Fine Arts Museum is recognised as one of the finest art
galleries in Spain. A tailor-made holiday to Bilbao should
include a visit to this highly prestigious gallery, which has
over six thousand paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings
and objects from the 12th century to the present day.
About the Author: Kieron Sellens is the marketing manager of
the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AiTO). For autumn
2008, AiTO are offering a selection of tailor-made holidays in
Spain, including a trip to explore the Art & Gastronomy of the
Basque Country
http://www.aito.co.uk/spain-holiday.asp
