The Ritz Carlton’s luxury 5-star Hotel Arts Barcelona is encouraging guests to celebrate the art of Catalonia in the year of the 90th anniversary of the death of famous Catalan architect and artist Antoni Gaudi (1852–1926), whose Sagrada Familia basilica is an icon of Modernisme architecture.Situated on the picturesque Mediterranean seafront of the city’s Port Olimpica, overlooking Frank Gehry’s iconic fish sculpture, the 44-storey Bruce Graham-designed hotel offers 455 rooms and 28 luxury duplex apartments within its spectacular exposed steel and blue glass façade.Throughout late August, Hotel Arts Barcelona will pay homage to Gaudi’s contribution to the rich fabric of Barcelona’s diverse cultural heritage with the addition of a signature cocktail and a temporary private library, both inspired by the visionary creative.Hotel concierges will also be able to organize traditional Gaudi tours within the city limits to visit icons such as La Sagrada Familia and Casa Battló, or the lesser known Nau Gaudí – the first building designed by the architect aged just 26.The Nau Gaudí is also the home of more than 1000 works from the Carmen and Lluís Bassat Collection which is regarded as “one of the most representative resources of the state of Catalan art in the second half of the 20th century.”The Hotel Barcelona itself boasts an impressive collection of works by contemporary Spanish and Catalan artists, with its walls graced by the work of artists such as Rafols-Casamada, Broto, Manolo, Valdés, Xavier Corberó, and Feito, to name a few.Hotel guests can also take advantage of the diverse schedule of cultural events scheduled to take place throughout the region in 2016, including the opening of Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s La Casa Terradas to the public for the first time in history since it was built in 1905.Another highlight of the local cultural calendar is the launch of a major exhibition at the Museu Nacional de Art de Catalunya dedicated to the work of painter, draftswoman, illustrator Lluïsa Vidal (1876-1918) who was part of a young generation of Catalan modernist artists. Read more