Frederic Marès Museum - sculptor's collections

About Frederic Marès Museum - sculptor's collections

The Frederic Mares museum, Museu Frederic Marès (MHM), is one of the most important sculpture museums in Spain with pieces spanning from the 12th to 19th Century. The museum contains the collection of the sculptor Frederic Marès which was accumulated during his lifetime from 1893-1991 during which time he collected statues and all sorts of curiosities.

The Frederic Mares museum is housed within a medieval building that was the Royal Palace of the Counts of Barcelona in the heart of the Gothic Quarter, barri gótic in Barcelona. The courtyard garden (or Verger) from the Royal Palace remains intact and forms the entrance to the current day museum.

The ground floor of the museum houses mainly sculptures of the 3rd and 4th Century, a collection of Gothic crucifixes and statues of the Virgin Mary plus other religious artifacts. This collection continues onto the first floor with additions of Baroque and Renaissance paintings.

The second floor contains the Museu Sentinel that contains objects from the bourgeois life in Barcelona in the last two centuries shows such as Umbrellas, glasses, canes, pipes and much more. The floor is divided into several rooms such as a weapons room, the smoking room with pipes and other items related to smoking, A room full of crookery, A room of keys and locks, A collection of vintage cameras, vintage stamps, watches and feminine items such as umbrellas and fans.

The attic is a small room full of children's toys from the 19th Century.

Frederic Marès & his Library

Frederic Marès Deulovol was born in Portbou in 1893 and his family moved to Barcelona in 1903. He studied at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Barcelona and travelled to Paris and Rome to study further. After graduating from university, Marès started working as a university professor until he retired in 1964.

Frederic Marès worked at the workshop of the sculptor Eusebi Arnau and produced a prolific body of work during his lifetime. Works for the Barcelona city council include the Fuente de la Oca in Plaça del Clot, Escultura de Francesc Rodó i Sala in Plaça del Canonge Rodó, Figura de Hermes in Plaça Catalunya, Statue of the Drummer of El Bruc inside Montjuic Castle and many more.

Frederic Marès is considered an important sculptor of the Catalan Modernism movement.

After the Spanish Civil War, Frederic Marès mostly dedicated himself to the restoration of destroyed statues and buildings.

The Frederic Marès Museum began in 1944 when the artist decreed in his will that the city of Barcelona should get his collection after his death. Frederic Marès displayed his collection in 1944, aged 51. In 1946, he had his first rented space for his museum. At the end of 1948 his collection included four rooms in the building in Carrer dels Comtes.

In 1952 the collected works of Frederic Marès filled three floors of the building. In 1970 the collection grew to its present size. Marès also donated part of his own sculptural body of works, which is on display in his Library-study inside the Frederic Marès Museum. Frederic Marès died 16th August 1991 aged 97 and his legacy is this beautiful museum.

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Visiting Frederic Marès Museum - sculptor's collections

The museum is split into themed floors and rooms containing scultures, art, collectible items, antique devices such as cameras, childrens toys, playing cards, etc. The collection of this museum is extensive and very well displayed in a beutiful old historic building. Also in the museum are items created by Frederic Mares and his personal library.

I would allow at least two hours to fully explore the museum.

Frederic Marès Museum Free Entry

• 1st Sunday of each month: 11:00h to 20:00h
• Every Sunday afternoon: 15:00h to 20:00h
• Santa Eulalia (12th of February)
• Corpus Christi (variable)
• International Museum Day (18th of May)
• La Merce (24th of September)

Frederic mares Museum opening hours

• Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00h to 19:00h.

• Sunday: 11:00h to 20:00h.

Getting to Frederic Marès Museum - sculptor's collections

Address: Plaza de Sant lu 5, Barcelona. 8002

Nearest TMB Metro is Juame I on the yellow (L4) line. The Museum can be found in Carrer dels Comtes to the left of Barcelona Cathedral with the entrance being in Plaça de Sant Lu. Use a T-Casual or Hola-Barcelona travel card.

Where to stay overnight in the Frederic Mares Museum