Iconic Encounters: Barcelona

Mark your Calendar for our Next Edition
Thursday and Friday March 27th-28th, 2025

• Casa Gomis/La Ricarda, Antonio Bonet, photo Adria Goula.
• Casa Gomis/La Ricarda, Antonio Bonet, photo Adria Goula.
• Casa Gomis/La Ricarda, Antonio Bonet, photo Adria Goula.
• Casa Milà/La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí. Photo: courtesy Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
• Casa Milà/La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí. Photo: courtesy Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
• Casa Milà/La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí. Photo: courtesy Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
• Cases Barates Bon Pastor.
• Cases Barates Bon Pastor.
• Cases Barates Bon Pastor.

• Casa Gomis/La Ricarda, Antonio Bonet, photo Adria Goula.
• Casa Gomis/La Ricarda, Antonio Bonet, photo Adria Goula.
• Casa Gomis/La Ricarda, Antonio Bonet, photo Adria Goula.
• Casa Milà/La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí. Photo: courtesy Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
• Casa Milà/La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí. Photo: courtesy Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
• Casa Milà/La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudí. Photo: courtesy Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera.
• Cases Barates Bon Pastor.
• Cases Barates Bon Pastor.
• Cases Barates Bon Pastor.

To prepare for this March meeting for the museum professionals in our network, Iconic Houses travelled to Barcelona to talk to our partners at La Pedrera, Casa Gomis/La Ricarda and the Barcelona History Museum's Cases Barates Bon Pastor. We also visited another of Bonet's houses - Casa Rubio, a private house that will be open to the public (by appointment) after its restoration in 2026/7- and his Hifrensa Settlement, a residential complex built to accommodate workers of Vandellòs-I nuclear power plant.

The dates haves been set for our next edition of Iconic Encounters in Barcelona: Thursday 27 and Friday March 28th. With this encounter we aim to strengthen the bond between the existing member museums in Spain and to encourage new collaborations. This already worked well in England, after our pilot Iconic Encounter in London in November.

We also hope to enthuse other modern house museums in Spain that fit our criteria to join Iconic Houses: Spain counts 13 member museums to date (8 of which are in Catalunya) and there are around 20 eligible modern house museums that are welcome to join this event as well.
Iconic Encounters: Barcelona is also explicitly open to be joined by Iconic Houses members from other countries.

Thursday, March 27th, 4-7pm

Guided tour and reception at Casa Gomis / La Ricarda in El Prat de Llobregat (close to the airport).
We will leave Barcelona together by bus at 4pm and will be back in the city for early dinner (by individual arrangement). Before the transfer of the house to Spain's Ministry of Culture earlier this month, the family was so busy that they did not get around to clearing the house of their personal belongings (photos etc.). The Ministry has given the family permission until the end of March to do so, which makes it possible for them to receive our group. Our contact Marita Gomis, the daughter of the original owners is going to give us a tour.

Our thematic film Pioneers of the Dutch Modern House will also be screened during the program, featuring the Iconic Houses in the Netherlands. This screening is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

More details and a registration and payment link will follow by mid-February.

Friday, March 28th, 9am-6pm

Expert Meeting 8:30am-12:30pm:
The Future of House Museum Marketing: Trends Strategies & Engagement
We will start our day aWe will start our day at Casa Milà/La Pedrera for an expert meeting on current marketing trends for house museums.

Tour of La Pedrera Apartment:
After the expert meeting we will tour the La Pedrera Apartment.

Boxed Lunch on the bus

Tour of Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, Sant Just Desvern:
Ricardo Bofill’s iconic home studio La Fábrica in a former cement factory.
Included are:
• Sala Cubica (Ricardo Bofill’s living room)
• Sala Rosa (Ricardo Bofill’s small living room)
• La Catedral

Bus to the El Poblenou neighbourhood: a former hub of Catalan industry that had fallen into disrepair, is now becoming a fashionable place for people to live, work and go out.

House Tour Cases Barates Bon Pastor:
The afternoon tour will be hosted by our network's newest Barcelona member, Cases Barates Bon Pastor, which is open since 2023. This initiative is managed by the Barcelona History Museum.
We recommend to checking out their website in the link that tells the history of this neighbourhood.

Book launch:
A new book on Cases Barates Bon Pastor project will be launched and a reception will conclude the day.

The final program will follow by mid-February.

We look forward to meeting all Directors, Curators and/or Marketing & Communication professionals of the thirteen member house museums in Spain that Iconic Houses counts to date.
These museums have already confirmed their attendance:
Can Lis
Casa Bloc Apartment Museum (TBC)
Casa Broner
Casa Botines
Casa Masó
Casa Milá/La Pedrera
Casa Moratiel (TBC)
Cases Barates Bon Pastor
El Capricho de Gaudí
Casa Gomis / La Ricarda
Mas Miró (TBC)
Museo Chillida Leku
Sert Studio (TBC)

In addition, there will be a delegation of modern house museums from the Czech Republic from Prague (Laichter House, Villa Winternitz, from Brno Villa Tugendhat and the Semler Residence) from Pilsen. From the United Kingdom are joining (Dorich House Museum) and from the United States (Sunnylands Center and Gardens).
Also invited are the representatives of circa 20 other modern house museums in Spain that fit all our criteria. 

Costs:
Through our partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Madrid, Dutch|Culture and our partner museums in Barcelona, we have been able to keep costs as low as possible. Admission is estimated now at circa 75 Euro and includes all house tours, coffee/tea, lunch, evening reception, film screening and transportation between venues from La Pedrera to Casa Gomis on Thursday and back and from La Pedrera in the morning on Friday to Cases Barates at the end of the day.

Suggestions for Saturday 30 March (by individual arrangement):
Casa Masó in Girona offers an optional free guided tour in English of Casa Masó to any members that wish to extend their stay and visit Girona on Saturday. It’s just a 40-minute ride on the high-speed train from Barcelona and director Jordi Falgàs will be happy to greet you at the museum. On top of that, Casa Masó offers attendees from our Barcelona encounter its newest publication, the hard-cover book Masó. Drawings., complimentary.

Supported by

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Organized by

Posted January 31, 2025