Museu Frederic Marès

"Frederic Marès Museum This little-known museum stands inthe shadow of Barcelona Cathedral. You'll find dramatic sculptures from pre-Roman times all the way to the 20th century, including religious works from medieval-era Spain. Frederic Marès was a sculptor by trade, but he was also an inveterate collector, and the museum’s upper floors—called the Collector’s Cabinet—are crammed with 17 rooms of quirky treasures. Among them is the Smokers’ Room, filled with hundreds of pipes, tobacco pouches, cigarette cases, ashtrays, and erotic matchbook covers. Other spaces are devoted to everything from walking sticks to cameras to timepieces to ladies’ accoutrements: gloves, fans, brooches, and even needlework made of human hair."

"Officially, Frederic Marès was a sculptor, but his real vocation was hoarding. Five minutes inside his museum—which displays Marès' own sculptures and his collection of possessions—and you realize the level of obsessive acquisition. The top two floors are full of artifacts he amassed, from the beautiful (ladies’ fans, jewelry) to the bizarre (keys, spectacles, wrappers from cigarette packets). The lower floors focus on religious artifacts, including many, many crucifixes. Don’t miss the Zen courtyard with orange trees and a summer café." - Gemma Askham