March 14: Sitges and Cau Ferrat Museum
By Elena Guzman
Our first site of the day and last visit of this trip was 40 km southwest of the bustling and busyness of Barcelona and into the coastal and charming little town of Sitges. Unknown amongst Americans and treasured by Europeans, Sitges is referred to as the birthplace of Modernism, an artistic movement that was god-fathered by Spanish painter, art collector, and writer, Santiago Rusinol. In the 19th century, Sitges was populated by fishermen and farmers, supporting the town with an economy from fishing and agriculture. It was Rusinol who brought arts and culture to the town after he stopped for a rest on the way to Villanova. Overwhelmed by the kindness and hospitality of the residents, Rusinol settled and bought two houses near the coast of Sitges where he lived and worked. In exchange with the residents for their generosity, Rusinol invited visitors to come inside and view his art collections.
The first example of modernist ideas in Sitges is reflected in the exterior of the museum itself. Our tour guide, Claudia, informed us that the white color of the buildings in Sitges is purposeful, to blind and deter invaders. However, the Gothic windows, iron balconies, and decorative ceramic tiles are all elements of early Catalan modernist architecture. Inside, the Museu del Cau Ferrat has two floors, “overloaded” (Claudia) with all types of art: paintings, pottery, scultures, furniture, textiles, etc. Although the aesthetic of the two floors are vastly different from each other, both religious and musical themes are continuous throughout the displays. The collaboration between art forms like music and art that is present in the museum is very interesting and well executed. At the beginning of the tour, Txema, the Director of the Museum network, scanned a QR code on one of the exhibition keys and asked us to listen to “The Song of the Cau Ferrat”. These audio files are available to scan on every key as a way for visitors to hear what a painting or art work might sound like.
There are five museums that comprise the Sitges Consorci del Patrimoni de Sitges. We were very fortunate to get an exclusive look inside of three of them, including the gorgeous Museu del Maricel and the breathtaking Palau de Maricel. Today, Sitges is renowned as an LGBTQ refuge in Spain and the Museum Consortium is actively working towards implementing innovative and creative ways for the art in the collections to be accessible to the entire population who comes to visit the museums.