One of the most emblematic buildings in the municipality and currently home to the Can Tinturé Museum, dedicated to decorative ceramics.
The building was designed in 1898 by architect Claudi Duran i Ventosa, a prominent figure in Catalan architecture of the late 19th century, commissioned by Joan Tinturé Campreciós, who served as a councilor and mayor of Esplugues between 1910 and 1915. Originally conceived as a stately summer residence, over time it has become a heritage and cultural landmark of the municipality.
In 1977, the Esplugues City Council acquired the building and, after a comprehensive renovation process, converted it into a museum facility in 2000. It is currently listed as a Cultural Asset of Local Interest (BCIL).
Architecture and Style
Can Tinturé is a historicist-style building with numerous neoclassical-inspired elements, such as the semicircular pediments, columns and pilasters with Corinthian and Ionic capitals, and ornamental vases crowning the balustrade. It consists of a ground floor and a first floor, with a flat roof, and is formed by three sections: the side sections project from the facade plane, while above one of them rises a tower with a four-sided pitched roof, supported by four square pillars. The pink stucco facades contrast with the exposed stone bands framing the corners and the tower section, giving it a distinguished and harmonious character.
The Museum and the Permanent Exhibition
Since 2003, Can Tinturé has hosted a permanent exhibition dedicated to sample tiles, based on the collection of Salvador Miquel, one of the foremost collectors of this type of ceramic. The collection comprises over 3,000 tiles from different periods, styles, and origins, spanning from the medieval era to contemporary industrial production.
Although most of the pieces come from Catalonia, particularly Barcelona, tiles from Valencia, Talavera, Seville, Teruel, Muel, and Delft (Holland) can also be seen. Furthermore, the museum exhibits pieces from the historic Pujol i Bausis factory, popularly known as “La Rajoleta,” one of the main producers of modernist ceramics in Catalonia, which collaborated with architects such as Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and Enric Sagnier.
Thanks to this combination of unique architecture and ceramic heritage, Can Tinturé is today a reference point for the history of Catalan ceramics and one of the most visited sites of Esplugues' cultural heritage.
Schedule
Free admission: Monday to Friday, 5 PM to 8 PM. Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM and 5 PM to 8 PM. Sunday from 10 AM to 2 PM. Closed all Mondays, in August, and on January 1st and 6th, and December 25th and 26th.
Guided tours: Every Sunday, except the last Sunday of the month: permanent exhibition at 12 PM and temporary exhibition at 1 PM.
