MACBA Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art

Richard Meier's brilliant white building, with its glass facade and long ramps, faces the Plaça dels Àngels, where skateboarders gather from morning to night. Opened in 1995, the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, known everywhere as MACBA, became a landmark of the regeneration of El Raval, and its forecourt is now one of the liveliest public spaces in the old city.

Inside, the light-filled galleries show art from the second half of the twentieth century to the present. The collection gives particular weight to Catalan and Spanish artists, including Antoni Tàpies and the poet and visual artist Joan Brossa, alongside international figures. Works are shown in changing presentations rather than a fixed permanent display, so the selection on the walls varies from one visit to the next.

The museum suits visitors drawn to conceptual, experimental and politically engaged art more than to familiar masterpieces. More than 650,000 people visit each year.