Palau Martorell
Always in search of inspiration: a nineteenth-century neoclassical palace on Carrer Ample, restored and open to the public as a home for the arts in the heart of Barcelona.
The history
In 1901 the building won first prize in the Annual Competition for Artistic Buildings awarded by Barcelona City Council — a prize that rewarded not only aesthetics but also the functionality of the building and the quality of its construction, in this case the remarkable stonework.
The Mercantil was absorbed by the Banco de Barcelona in 1917, in a process that lasted almost two years. As early as 1920, however, the Banco de Barcelona — the first private Spanish bank — went bankrupt, causing considerable losses to shareholders and customers.
Around 1930 the building was acquired by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation, which renovated the interior without altering its most significant elements. Fortunately, the palace suffered no significant damage during the Civil War (1936-1939), despite standing in a neighbourhood that was severely punished by the bombings.
The building
The combination of monumentality and solemnity conveys the values the institution wished to reflect through simplicity and the absence of ornate or baroque elements. The building stands out for its large proportions, its symmetry and the distribution of the decorative elements in the central body of the main façade.
Located opposite the Plaça de la Mercè, it offers splendid views of the Basílica de la Mare de Déu de la Mercè. Rectangular in plan, the house comprises a semi-basement, a ground floor, two upper floors, an attic and a roof terrace.
The façade is a demonstration of neoclassical architecture: five openings evenly and symmetrically distributed, with two very different column elevations in the central body — Doric from the main-floor balcony over two storeys, then Ionic up to the great upper cornice. A lion's head, symbol of strength and protection, presides over the entrance; the initials C.O.I. appear on the double wooden door, allegories of Commerce and Industry mark the first floor, and the floral wrought-iron railing weaves in the caduceus and the initials S.C.M. of the Sociedad de Crédito Mercantil.
The ground floor
The protagonist of this floor is undoubtedly the great skylight, supported from two floors above, which pours natural light into the whole space, accompanied by an ornamentation of Doric columns.
The main entrance leads to a rectangular vestibule opening onto the central courtyard and the side areas of the building. The noble staircase, in marble with a wrought-iron railing, is set back to one side — quietly ceding the leading role to the courtyard.
At the centre of the skylight's stained glass is a motif like a blue cartwheel: a serene composition, in harmony with the rest of the building, in which noucentista elements can be glimpsed — straight lines and order, in contrast to the curves of modernisme. Following the taste of the turn of the century, priority was given to light, seeking balance between the order of the mosaic and the floral motifs.
The main floor
Following the custom of the time, the main floor was the most important: it housed the grandest rooms and was the only one with access to the balcony. Originally it was also the only floor served by the noble staircase, later extended to connect the rest of the building.
Its spaces are arranged around the light well, through a succession of large double windows — a feature typical of the hygienist trends of nineteenth-century Barcelona palaces, which brings in natural light and lends the rooms their majesty.
Our values
Excellence
Exhibitions conceived with scholarly rigour and presented with the highest museographic standards.
Heritage
The palace itself is part of the collection: we preserve it, explain it and share it.
Openness
Open every day of the year, accessible to all, in the very centre of the city.
Education
Guided visits, family activities and school programmes that open art to every audience.