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Mallorca

Es Baluard

  • Address
    • Porta de Santa Catalina 10
  • Website
  • Price
    • adult/child €6/free, temporary exhibitions €4, free entry Tue
  • Hours
    • 10am-8pm Tue-Sat, to 3pm Sun

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Lonely Planet review for Es Baluard

Built with flair and innovation into the shell of the Renaissance-era seaward walls, this contemporary art gallery is one of the finest on the island. While its temporary exhibitions are always worth checking out, the core of the permanent collection – works by Joan Miró, Miquel Barceló and Picasso – and the setting are what give the gallery its cachet.

The 21st-century concrete complex has been cleverly built in and among the fortifications, which include the partly restored remains of an 11th-century Muslim-era tower (on your right as you arrive from Carrer de Sant Pere). The effect is a playful game of light, surfaces and perspective.

Inside, the ground floor houses the core of the permanent exhibition, starting with a section on Mallorcan landscapes by local artists and others from abroad; the big names here include Valencia's Joaquín Sorolla, Mallorca's own Miquel Barceló and the Catalan Modernista artist Santiago Rusiñol; the latter did a lot of work in and around the town of Bunyola. A broad swath of local and mostly Catalan landscape artists is also on show here. Also on the ground floor and part of the permanent collection is a room devoted to the works of Joan Miró, while on the top floor is an intriguing collection of ceramics by Pablo Picasso; after viewing the latter, step out onto the ramparts for fine views. In sum, it's an impressive rather than extraordinary collection that's well worth a couple of hours of your time.