Museo de San Telmo

Museo de San Telmo Review

The Museo de San Telmo is in a 16th-century monastery behind the Parte Vieja, to the right (northeast) of the church of Santa María. The former chapel, now a lecture hall, was painted by José María Sert (1876-1945), creator of notable works in Barcelona's city hall, London's Tate Gallery, and New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Here, Sert's characteristic tones of gray, gold, violet, and earthy russet enhance the sculptural power of his work, which portrays events from Basque history. The museum displays Basque ethnographic items, such as prehistoric steles once used as grave markers, and paintings by Zuloaga, Ribera, and El Greco.