Description
CaixaForum Madrid
We are visiting CaixaForum, Madrid’s new socio-cultural center, for more than what hangs on the walls inside. The building is an architectural star and the living garden that covers much of it shines just as brightly.The famous French botanist Patrick Blanc created the exuberant vertical garden in 2007. His premise, “Plants don’t need earth: only water, minerals, light and carbon dioxide” is at the heart of why this 460m2 / 4951.4 square foot planted surface continues to bloom and astound passersby on a daily basis. With more than 15,000 plants from 250 different species, Blanc’s multicolored living painting does more than look wonderful. It functions as an extraordinarily effective environmental asset.The building, once an old electrical power plant eyesore, was redesigned, expanded and repurposed inside and out by the Swiss firm, Herzog and De Meuron, most easily remembered for their design of the Tate Modern in London that earned them a Pritzker Award. And no, the magnificent staircase inside CaixaForum isn’t a Gaudi creation – although no one would fault you if your first reaction was to seriously suggest that possibility. It is, however, a stunning example of what Herzog and De Meuron do best.CaixaForum is now home to art exhibits, film screenings, dance and theater performances, concerts, poetry readings and symposiums. Marvelous works from the Caixa Foundation permanent collection, some 700 pieces by artists from the 1980s to the present are on display as well various on-loan exhibits.La Caixa, a financial powerhouse with a social consciousness, funds and supports the largest charitable foundation in Spain and one of the largest in the world. Mandated to combat poverty and social exclusion, Caixa also provides resources for education and research programs, environmental protection and the dissemination of culture.Museum hours of operation: Monday to Sunday 10am - 8pm (20.00)Admission: Free. (Concerts and such require reservations and can have an entry fee; we recommend you check the CaixaForum Madrid website for a full schedule of events during your visit.)http://obrasocial.lacaixa.es/laCaixaFoundation/culture_en.html
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