To celebrate the Tàpies Year, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Tàpies Museum are organizing a combined visit to two buildings designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner: first, the former Montaner y Simón publishing house (1880-1882), now the Tàpies Museum, and second, the Palau de la Música Catalana (1905-1908). The visit will allow us to learn about the history of both buildings and the artist’s interest in music.

The Montaner y Simón publishing house was the first in the Eixample to integrate industrial typology and technology, combining exposed brick and iron, into the urban fabric. Alongside Antoni Gaudí's Casa Vicens, it is one of the few remaining examples of a now-disappeared construction style, exemplifying the transition from eclectic 19th-century architecture to a new style, modernism.

The Palau de la Música Catalana is an architectural gem of Catalan Modernism and the only concert hall declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It employs advanced architectural solutions, using new laminated profiles, a central metal structure stabilized by a system of buttresses and perimeter vaults inspired by Gothic architecture, and incorporating large glass walls and all applied arts: sculpture, mosaic, stained glass, and wrought iron.

Music always accompanied Tàpies. For him, it was a source of inspiration and an artistic model; he highlighted its evocative power. In his texts and interviews, Tàpies expressed admiration for various styles and musicians from different eras, from the baroque music of Johann Sebastian Bach or the romantic music of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) to 20th-century composers such as Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951), John Cage (1912-1992), and Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007).

Discover the connection between the two Domènech i Montaner buildings, the transition from 19th-century architecture to the purest modernist style, facilitated by Tàpies' association with music.