I wanted to LOVE this museum, because I love Gaudi's work and was so excited to make the pilgrimage…read moreto his home town. I get that they want to capitalize on Gaudi's fame and there is clearly a growing thirst for more Gaudi, understandably. This place, I thought, was uniquely positioned to tell the story of his early life. They just came up short. The videos were quick/ superficial glimpses that I feel like I could have seen online. The displays lacked anything original-- not so much as a toothpick excavated from his original home or anything from his family. 99% of the architectural models you could have seen in Barcelona at his buildings that are open to public. The audio tour component was different here than the other museum stops in that they 'auto' started when you were in front of something. (Assuming they were working--it didn't work a couple times). All this for €9. Better to put those funds toward a book and wander the streets of Reus with a guide map and look at their beautiful old buildings.
This museum would be great IF: they add some original pieces from the family; tell the story in a more organized, chronological order; go deeper & get into the details of his early family-- photos of family, family tree; house where they believe he was born--and if that's gone, where it stood; more examples of the kinds of copper pieces his family created and what their mark/ stamp looked like; examples of the kinds of things he would've studied at architecture school--what was popular at that time; examples of buildings that were standing in his town as he grew up (influences)... All Barcelona gets you so excited about and for more Gaudi, but there is a real opportunity to fill in a lot of gaps. The Gaudi Experience in Barcelona next to the Gothic Cathedral was similarly disappointing.
