Barcelona boasts an impressive museum offer. Institutions such as the National Art Museum of Catalonia or the Picasso Museum attract thousands of visitors each year, but there are other exhibition spaces that, despite not being part of the usual artistic route and attracting a smaller audience, are still interesting. Collections of objects ranging from sewing machines to electric guitars and perfumes, or found in the most unsuspected places, from prisons to amusement parks. Below, we mention some of them.
31 Juan de Garay
Alien Museum
Escribano, creator of the Alien Museum, holding a replica of the android Ash's head
In Barcelona, clandestine experiences are popular. You can come across anything from a cocktail bar behind the door of a supermarket to a hidden spaceship in a discreet location in Sant Andreu. It's not an invention. At number 31 Juan de Garay street, you'll find the Alien Museum, a space that Luis Escribano took around four years to build and is an oasis for fans of the science fiction saga created by Ridley Scott. From the beginning of the tour, the visitor is transported to the Nostromo ship from the first movie, where they can interact through various switches that turn on lights or reveal previously non-existent nooks. But the undisputed stars are the aliens hiding there. “I have around thirty,” Escribano assures.
Behind-the-scenes photographs or parts of the original alien are among the other items displayed by this collector during visits, which he embellishes by explaining some curiosities about the saga. Did you know that the actors from Alien: the Eighth Passenger are dying in the same order as in the movie? Or that the original suit of the protagonist monster was designed with real bones?
34 Trafalgar
Banksy Museum
At the Banksy Museum, more than 150 reproductions of the works of the Bristol artist are exhibited
Two years ago, the Espai Trafalgar changed its name to the Banksy Museum in response to the public's great interest in the work of the famous Bristol graffiti artist. Since then, thousands of visitors have strolled through its different floors, where currently 150 creations are exhibited ranging from the iconic graffiti Girl with balloon to Venice in oil, a critique of the daily influx of cruise ships visiting the lagoon of the Italian city. Life-size reproductions of artists from around the world (the originals are on the streets) have recently been joined by “new works that represent Banksy's work in Italy and Ukraine, as well as a series of prints and oil paintings that complement the experience,” explain from the museum.
These days, the space will also host workshops for children where they will create Christmas postcards using Banksy's art as the guiding theme, which will be sent to senior centers in the city.
56 Mare de Déu del Port 56
Museum of Funeral Carriages
The Museum of Funeral Carriages is a unique exhibition in Europe
Thirteen carriages, five accompanying carriages, and three motor vehicles complete the collection of the Museum of Funerary Carriages, “a unique exhibition space in Europe,” says historian Adrià Terol. It includes pieces as interesting as the imperial carriage, very ostentatious, which was used for the burial of the novelist Benito Pérez Galdós in 1920; or the stove carriage, more sober, which has transported the remains of politicians such as Enric Prat de la Riba or Santiago Rusiñol.
These vehicles, which fell into disuse in the mid-20th century, are a display of the evolution of funeral rituals, but they also speak to other issues such as gender inequality. “The mourning coaches, for example, clearly depict the role of the widow and how women of that era were subject to severe restrictions,” says Terol.
The collection is open to the public every weekend with a free guided tour at 12 p.m. Cementeris de Barcelona also organizes combined visits on the second and fourth Sunday of each month that start at the horse-drawn carriage exhibition and include a tour of around forty tombs in the Montjuïc cemetery.
16 Portaferrissa
Guitar Legends Hall
In the Guitar Legends Hall are exhibited guitars that have passed through the hands of Slash or Eric Clapton
The city also has had a museum dedicated to the electric guitar since last June. There, unique specimens that have been owned by great musicians such as Slash, Eric Clapton, Paul Stanley, or Mark Knopfler are exhibited, along with limited editions that are no longer on the market but have been faithfully replicated due to their importance. Juan José Castellano is the mastermind behind this project which, beyond being a showcase of instruments, aims to be an immersive journey through the history of rock.
The route starts at a 1960s-themed blues bar and ends with a big concert, passing through a hippie caravan, a vinyl store, or an MTV set. Despite Guitar Legends Hall being located in one of Barcelona's most touristic areas, it is not solely aimed at a foreign audience and aims to make rock culture, guitars, and music accessible to everyone.
44 Premià
The 'museum' of the sewing machine
Bernabé Martínez, with the sewing machines he has been collecting in his shop in Sants
Bernabé Martínez has been collecting sewing machines for half a century. He began cultivating this hobby after being a distributor for the prestigious Japanese brand Brother for years, and today he has accumulated more than 200 of these devices in a small and crowded store in the Sants neighborhood. This feat has led many to grant his establishment the label of “museum,” despite not even having a sign at the entrance.
“Everyone is welcome,” says Martinez, who insists that his collection stems from a passion and that he has never intended to profit from it, which is why he does not charge an entrance fee. Among other treasures, he has two Aurora models, made by Miquel Escuder in Barcelona in 1860. “They are named after the manufacturer's wife. They are very difficult to find,” reveals the collector, who in his spare time also fixes some sewing machines for the neighbors in the neighborhood.
155 Entença
The Modelo
The Modelo prison offers guided tours that explore the courtyard, galleries, and other spaces of the prison
Ever since the Modelo prison opened its doors to the public, it has been offering free guided tours (which can be booked on the website) that explore the courtyard, the package area, the sports center, and the galleries while a guide reviews the history of the prison. These tours demonstrate how the country's historical context has heavily influenced the use of the space, and they delve into the diverse profiles of individuals who have inhabited its cells.
Another part of the activity focuses on the face-to-face visits, which in the case of the Modelo prison were organized on the upper floor, equipped with eight rooms with a bathroom, bed, towels, and condoms, although these encounters did not begin to take place in the prison until 1980. “These visits are in high demand and it is common for spaces to be filled well in advance,” explains Lluc Ohian Mas, from the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB), the institution responsible for managing the space along with the Barcelona City Council.
Although not a typical museum, this centuries-old building allows visitors to learn about the city's past from an interesting perspective. Additionally, it often hosts exhibitions, various events, film screenings or documentaries, and theater performances, which are regularly updated on the website. For example, right now, until the end of January, they are hosting the exhibition Generacions TOP, a denunciation of Francoist repression.
Tibidabo
Museum of Automatons
The pieces exhibited at the Museum of Automatons were built between the 19th and 20th centuries
At the highest peak of the Collserola mountain range, you'll find one of Barcelona's most curious museums. The Tibidabo Automata Museum boasts forty pieces dating from the 19th and 20th centuries that were scattered around the park before the space was opened in 1982. The Mandolinist Clown, dating back to 1880, is the oldest automaton in the collection, while The Gaüs Brothers or the Balance of the World, from 2005, is the latest acquisition. “I built it for the Japan Universal Exhibition and it represents the balance between the forces of good and evil,” says Lluís Ribas, the museum's curator.
For Ribas, the magic of automatons lies in the fact that, after activating them by pressing a button, they force the viewer to stop until their movement ceases. “They rebel against the immediacy that prevails in these times,” he says. He also highlights that the models (ranging from a watchtower to a roller coaster) are other unique pieces that can be admired in this space.
39 Passeig de Gràcia
Perfume Museum
In their display cases, about 5,000 containers are exhibited
Apparently, it is just another store in the Gràcia neighborhood, but within the Regia perfumery, there is also a hidden perfume museum. Its showcases display around 5,000 containers from Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Arab, and other ancient cultures, including incense burners, perfume bottles, and flacons from all eras, up to the most modern creations of contemporary perfumers.
One of the most outstanding designs that can be admired there is the Le Roi Soleil bottle, created by Dalí. Miniatures, catalogs, and antique advertising material complete this exhibition as peculiar as it is unknown.