Museu de Cultures del Món

About the museum

The Museu de les Cultures del Món was formally created in 2015 on Carrer Montcada in Barcelona, in the Nadal and Marquès de Llió palaces, with a selection of pieces from Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas. It was the result of a 2011 agreement with the Fundació Folch, which lent a large group of non-European pieces, and of the 2012 decision to expand the non-European collections into a new space. In 2017 it merged with the Museu Etnològic, and the two have since formed the Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món, with two sites.

The museum occupies two adjoining historic houses. The Casa del Marquès de Llió was built in the second half of the 13th century as a mansion around a courtyard, was remodelled after its purchase in 1705, housed the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària (1982–2008) and then the Museu del Disseny; two of its rooms retain 14th-century Gothic painted ceilings. The Casa Nadal was formed from two 14th-century buildings that Jeroni Nadal joined from 1637 onwards, and housed the Museu Barbier-Mueller d’Art Precolombí from 1997 to 2010. Work began in 2013 and unified the two houses, with a smooth circulation and two staircase cores.

The permanent exhibition brings together around 530 objects, arranged by continent: 64 pieces from Africa, 76 from Oceania, 250 from Asia and 138 from the Americas, drawn from the museum's collections and from the Fundació Folch. Interactive and audiovisual displays place the objects in their original context.

Highlights

• Around 530 objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas, arranged by continent
• African sculptures and masks from peoples such as the Fang, Dogon, Yoruba or Baule
• Oceanic art: men's houses of the Sepik River, bark paintings from Arnhem Land and moai from Rapa Nui
• Buddhas of Gandhara and art from India, Tibet and Japan
• Pre-Columbian pieces from Mexico to Peru
• 14th-century Gothic painted ceilings in the Casa del Marquès de Llió

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente de la sede Montcada – Around 530 objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas, arranged by continent, with interactive and audiovisual displays placing them in their original context; they come from the museum's collections and from the Fundació Folch.

Founded

2015

Operated by

Ajuntament de Barcelona

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Sunday 15:00–19:30; the first Sunday of each month 10:00–19:30; 12 February (Santa Eulàlia), 18 May (International Museum Day) and 24 September (La Mercè).

With the tourist bus there is a 20% discount on general admission (permanent collection: €4). Free admission also for accredited members of ICOM and of the Associació de Museòlegs de Catalunya, professional tourist guides, accredited teachers, accredited journalists, holders of the free Targeta Rosa, the BCN Card and Gaudir + BCN, and donors of heritage items to the museum they donated to. Tickets are bought online for each site.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

Interior spaces without architectural barriers, accessible lifts and accessible toilets. Induction loops, self-supporting chairs, wheelchairs for visitors with reduced mobility, a tactile plan of the reception area with guided routes, and personalised sign-language assistance on request. In the permanent exhibition: a Braille leaflet with a plan, high-contrast graphics, an audio guide with audio description and subtitles (Catalan, Spanish, English and French), sign-language videos (Catalan and Spanish) of the highlighted pieces, and tactile stations with replicas. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome. The museum takes part in Apropa Cultura. There is a PDF route from metro line L4 for blind or partially sighted visitors.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Family activities, such as visits with workshops (for example on the Wayang Kulit shadow theatre) and a self-guided treasure hunt through the Asia continent. Children under 16 enter free.

Getting there & parking

Bicycle racks on Rambla del Born at the corner with Montcada, and on Carrer de la Princesa, 23; there is room to store folding bicycles.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Museum shop with books and items for all audiences.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Hire of spaces in the historic Cases Nadal and Marquès de Llió.

Plan your visit