Located on the second floor of Casa Batlló, an iconic Barcelona landmark designed by Antoni Gaudí, a new gallery space is set to open in 2026. The space, which has been empty for decades, will be transformed and redesigned by the Barcelona-based architecture firm Mesura.
Opening 31 January 2026, the inaugural exhibition in the space will feature United Visual Artists (UVA), the acclaimed London-based collective led by British artist Matt Clark. To coincide with this, UVA will unveil an ambitious projection mapping artwork for Casa Batlló’s iconic façade, commissioned by the house for the fifth edition of its celebrated annual public façade mapping event.
Photo by Caudia Mauriño
Historically occupied by residential apartments and later used as a conservation and maintenance workshop, Casa Batlló’s second floor will, for the first time, open to the public as a gallery dedicated to contemporary art.
It will host two contemporary art exhibitions per year, establishing itself as a new cultural hub in Barcelona. The new space will be accessible to the public either as part of the full Casa Batlló visitor experience or with a standalone ticket to the space.
“Casa Batlló Contemporary aims to foster a dialogue between the past and future, situating Antoni Gaudí’s legacy within a contemporary framework,” shares Maria Bernat, director of Casa Batlló Contemporary. “Through art and architecture, it explores his radical vision with present-day thinking, remaining faithful to his spirit of innovation and disruption while engaging with Barcelona’s dynamic artistic landscape.”
Architectural Dialogue with Gaudí
The redesign of the second-floor space into a new gallery, directed by Mesura, preserves the building’s essence while articulating a contemporary architectural language.
It has been restored carefully preserving its original features — most notably the woodwork and stained glass — while being reimagined as a meeting point between architectural memory and contemporary artistic creation.
The space’s newest intervention is a curved metal ceiling, screen-printed with concentric ripples evoking a drop of water on a calm lake. Produced using robotic technology, it bestows the space with a distinct identity while fulfilling structural requirements.
“Intervening in a Gaudí building is both a dream and an enormous responsibility. Our goal was to create an echo of his work, a whisper that adds to his universe without altering it,” explains Carlos Dimas, partner at Mesura.
A Commitment to 21st-Century Heritage
For Casa Batlló, the inauguration of this new gallery reaffirms its dual commitment to rigorous conservation and cultural innovation.
“We aspire for Casa Batlló to remain a cultural beacon both locally and globally, a reference for how living heritage can evolve with purpose, sensitivity, and innovation. Opening this space in the centenary of Gaudí’s death and in the framework of Barcelona as World Capital of Architecture represents a significant milestone for the city, enriching its cultural landscape” says Gary Gautier, general director of Casa Batlló.
In this way, Casa Batlló asserts its identity as 21st-century heritage: radical and avant-garde, able to reinterpret its own history through contemporary art and architecture while remaining true to its essence.
Renderings by Mesura.
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