Going up the first set of stairs. — Photo courtesy of Daniel Lobo
The newest exhibit at CaixaForum Madrid pays homage to man’s fascination with building increasingly tall structures and feats of architecture throughout the ages.
Called “Towers and Skyscrapers: From Babel to Dubai” (officially “Torres y rascacielos: de Babel a Dubai” in Spanish), the exhibition brings together an eclectic collection of paintings, photographs, films and small-scale architectural models, and presents the different styles and materials involved in the construction of cathedrals, towers and skyscrapers. Many of the pieces are on loan from institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
The exhibit begins with the mythic Tower of Babel and goes on to document the appearance of the first skyscrapers in 1850 before arriving at the focus of the exhibition: the engineering marvels of the 19th and 20th centuries.
You are free to explore the intriguing exhibit on your own; however, if you are interested, there are also daily guided visits in Spanish. They are scheduled at 7 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, 1 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 pm on Fridays and at both noon and 7 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
The exhibit, Towers and Skyscrapers: From Babel to Dubai, is on display until January 5, 2013. Free entrance.
