[Dec. 2022] After seeing the cathedral in Salamanca, a university town in western Spain, we found a building called Casa Lis nearby.
This is Museo de Art Nouveau y Art Deco (Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco).
The entrance fee is €5 per person.
Upon entering, you are greeted by a hall with a colourful stained glass ceiling.
This is an eye-opening beauty, but surprisingly, photography is not allowed inside.
I have never been so disappointed.
According to the pamphlet I was given, it was built in the early 20th century and was the private home of Don Miguel de Lis, a local trader who loved art nouveau.
It passed into the hands of many people during the 20th century, and eventually it became the property of the city of Salamanca.
It was restored and opened as a museum in 1995.
Many of the exhibits were donated by a collector called Don Manuel Ramos Andrade.
There are various genres of things lined up, such as toys, bronze statues, pottery, furniture, jewellery, and paintings.
It is the world of Agatha Christie’s Poirot which was made into a TV drama.
The museum has an elegant and stylish atmosphere.
What surprised me was that there were Kewpie dolls among them.
I didn’t know Kewpie was an Art Nouveau or Art Deco doll.
I looked it up and found that it was created by an American illustrator in the early 20th century, and that it was a German doll maker that popularized it.
Not only Kewpie dolls, but also dolls that we called “French dolls” when we were young were lined up.
This Casa Lis has a beautiful glass corridor on the back side, and I secretly took a picture with my mobile phone when no one was there.
It is a sin to leave such a beautiful thing only in the minds of visitors.
By the way, the next day, we took a walk along the Tormes River, which flows south of Salamanca, and when we came back to the old town, we happened to go to the back of this building, so we were able to take photos of the glass corridor from the outside.
The museum also has a shop, selling replicas of some of the exhibits.
We didn’t buy it on the spot, but after consulting with my husband, we bought a bookend at a retail store in town.
I have this bookend on my desk and as soon as I take my eyes off the screen, I can see this elegant thing which makes me happy.
Salamanca isn’t particularly an Art Nouveau/Art Deco city, but thanks to this museum, there were several retailers selling these replicas.
