The roof at Casa Vicens

The roof at Casa Vicens Casa Vicens, Barcelona 2017. Photo: Pol Viladoms

The permanent collection includes audio-visual materials about the history of Casa Vicens and Gaudí’s life, a collection of furniture made by the architect, as well as 32 oil paintings by the Spanish painter Francesc Torrescassana i Sallarés. The first temporary exhibition—The First House, the Private Home, the Manifesto House—has been organised by Juanjo Lahuerta, a Gaudí specialist and the chief curator of Barcelona's National Museum of Art of Catalonia, and looks at the designs of 14 houses by the architect’s contemporaries.

The first temporary exhibition looks at the designs of 14 houses Gaudí's contemporaries

The first temporary exhibition looks at the designs of 14 houses Gaudí's contemporaries Casa Vicens, Barcelona 2017. Photo: Pol Viladoms

The opening of the museum comes amidst reports that tourism in Catalonia slumped by 15% in the two weeks following the region’s controversial referendum on 9 October and that continued civil unrest could cause a catastrophic decline in Spain’s economic growth. But in an interview with the Guardian, Mora says that it is exactly the right time for the museum to open. “Culture moves emotions,” she says. “This could be a moment of peace.”