The Gaudí Chair

Gaudi Chair from Dutch designer Bram Geenan.

The Gaudí Chair was created by ministerial order on 3 March 1956 as part of what was then the Barcelona School of Architecture, under the direction of Professor Josep F. Ràfols i Fontanals, biographer and adherent of Gaudí. Joan Bassegoda i Nonell directed the Chair from April 1968 until 2000, when the rectors of the University of Barcelona and the Technical University of Catalonia signed a collaborative agreement to found the Gaudí Workshop; a shared space where various organisations and groups of Gaudí scholars and researchers could come together. The activities undertaken by the Gaudí Workshop are to be transferred to the Antoni Gaudí Foundation, when the foundation, whose statutes have now been approved, is formally established by the two universities and the Caixa Catalunya Foundation.



The Gaudí Chair resides at the Güell Pavilions located in Barcelona’s Avinguda Pedralbes. The pavilions form one of three entrance gates built by Gaudí in 1884 under commission from Eusebi Güell for Güell’s estate. The main elements of the complex are its imposing dragon gate forged of wrought iron, the gatekeeper’s lodge, the stables and the coach house.

Throughout its history, the diverse activities of the Chair have included publishing written material, hosting conferences and exhibitions, and restoring monuments. The educational activities of the Chair include courses in the history of architecture, urbanism and gardens, and courses in the restoration of monuments. Of particular importance are its doctoral and specialist courses on Gaudí and Art Nouveau, or modernismo, as it is called in Spain. In this respect, the Chair has successfully directed 17 doctoral theses and has succeeded in getting 17 works by Gaudí listed as national monuments.



Another task of the Chair lies in maintaining and expanding the contents of the documentary and graphic archives on Gaudí, a library numbering over 15,000 volumes, as well as the contents of the Barcelona Architectural Museum, which is a member of the International Confederation of Architectural Museums.

On 12 December 1997, King Juan Carlos of Spain honoured the Gaudí Chair with the Gold Medal of Distinction in the Fine Arts and bestowed the title of “Royal” on the Gaudí Chair.



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