Trip to Salamanca’s Art Nouveau Museum
Art is Food For the Soul
In Spain, Art Nouveau was called “modernism”. it was applied mainly to architecture. When we think of “modernism,” we often think of Barcelona as the city to visit with examples of modern expression by architect Antoni Gaudí. But my husband came across a museum in Salamanca while searching on the internet for excursions in Spain. So the planning for a short spring vacation began, centered around visiting the Art Nouveau Museum in Salamanca. In the past, I’d only heard about the small city because of its university and an exchange program we knew of with Harrisonburg, Virginia, students and professors of James Madison University.
The Universidad de Salamanca is a public research university, founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, and it is the fourth oldest in the world in continuous operation. The city is known for its large number of remarkable Plateresque-style buildings. This style has ornate decorative façades covered with floral designs and fantastic creatures.
Wandering the wide stone streets, moving in and out of cathedrals, climbing towers, and soaking in the sights, it was as if I was refilled and rested. I really believe art is food for the soul.
The museums and architecture of Salamanca inspired our creativity.
On our second day, we went early to the Art Nouveau Museum. The Museum is an old mansion, (Casa Lis), built in 1905, for its first owner, Miguel de Lis, by Joaquin de Vargas y Aguirre. Don Miguel de Lis was the owner of a tannery, whose wealth enabled him to travel and afford to build a mansion with modernist design. In 1917, the mansion changed hands.
Later, Casa Lis was inhabited by various tenants. In the 1970s, it was vacant and fell into decay, but in 1981, the city of Salamanca saved it. And in 1995, the museum opened to the public.
The museum is home to decorative art dating from the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. It contains almost 2,500 pieces, including glass, porcelain figures, gold and ivory statues, enamels, bronze items, paintings, ivory pieces, furniture, jewels, toys, a Fabergé egg…and an important painting collection.
What’s the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco?
Art Nouveau draws inspiration from natural forms and focuses on lavish and intricate designs. Art Deco draws inspiration from industrial machinery and focuses on simplified geometric designs. Both can be found in this small Salamanca museum.
My Art Travel Suggestions
If you travel to a new destination (Salamanca or others), I recommend looking up where to find examples of different art movements. You can ask for exhibitions of “impressionism” or “Bauhaus art”, for example, or you can look up specific artists and writers like “Jane Austin” or “Joaquin Sorolla” to visit homes or museums of interest.
Stay tuned for my summer blogs because my husband and I will visit another European city that is hosting a music performer we like. We’ve planned another short excursion around musical art!