Founded in 1915 by the merchant Santiago Segura, this was one of the centres for the diffusion of Modernisme, not only thanks to the exhibitions held there, but also through publications and events of all sorts. But its main interest lay in its cellar, a meeting-place for enthusiasts and artists, with mural decoration by Xavier Nogués. You might say that the Galeries Laietanes were to Noucentisme what Els Quatre Gats was to Modernisme, although the differences speak for themselves. Whereas Els Quatre Gats was open to the coming and going of modern life, here we have a cellar through whose painted arcades we glimpse an idealised country that is calm and congenial.