The Escola Massana is Barcelona’s municipal Art and Design centre. Legacy of the Barcelona baker and philanthropist Agustí Massana, the school opened its doors as an academic institution on 14 January 1929.

The defining feature of both the Escola Massana and its teaching philosophy is its inter-disciplinary character. This generates a symbiosis between the disciplines of art and design, thus fomenting the comprehensive training of its students.

The Escola Massana’s educational programme encompasses three conceptual areas (visual arts, applied arts and design) for three educational levels: Basic Education (Artistic Baccalaureate), Further Education (Advanced vocational training programmes and a university degree in Art and Design) and Continuous Training (beginners and specialist courses, leading to non-official qualifications recognised by the Education Department of the Autonomous Government of Catalunya, as well as UAB Specialisation Courses, and UAB Free-Choice Credits).

The Escola Massana belongs to the European League of Institutions of Arts (ELIA), Design for All Europe (EIDD), Foment de les Arts Decoratives (FAD — Promotion of Decorative Arts), Associació d’Artistes Visuals de Catalunya (AAVC — Association of Visual Artists in Catalonia) and the Coordinadora d’Escoles Públiques d’Art i Disseny de Catalunya (Coordinator of State Schools for Art and Design in Catalonia).

In 2017 the Escola Massana has moved from its historical headquarters at the Old Hospital of Santa Creu to a new building, designed by architect Carme Pinós, located in the Plaça de la Gardunya, in the middle of the Raval neighborhood and next to Mercat de la Boqueria.

Fotography by Iñigo Bujedo-Aguirre