Ministry of Culture acquires Gomis House in Llobregat (Barcelona)

The space will be turned into a cultural hub open to the public, in which various activities and guided tours will be held

'The Board and Management of Iconic Houses hope that this exciting news will resonate worldwide and inspire governments and heritage organizations around the world to take similar bold and meaningful action!' says Natascha Drabbe, Director and Founder of the Iconic Houses network. With their "Icons at Risk" alerts the network draws international attention to groundbreaking houses from 20th century architectural history that are threatened with demolition, neglect or decay. “This is what Iconic Houses has been committed to for the past 12 years, among many other things. By continuously drawing attention to this masterpiece in the media, it got on the radar of the right parties who can offer the house a sustainable future.”
Casa Gomis has been a member of Iconic Houses since 2014.
According to Marita Gomis Betrand: “The Iconic Houses network has been very important for Casa Gomis. Because, as part of Iconic Houses, Casa Gomis got associated at once with the best houses in the world designed by the most important architects of the 20th century – Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and many others. From a hidden gem our family home in La Ricarda turned into a masterpiece in the same league. Since Iconic Houses' first visit of Casa Gomis in 2014, the organization always stressed that the house was at risk, supported the work that the family has done and communicated that world wide. Even the bold quote that ARA newspaper used in their title of an interview with Iconic Houses founder Natascha Drabbe 'I don't understand why Barcelona doesn't buy Casa Gomis and donate it to a museum' may have opened the eyes of the authorities.”

Here follows the official press release* from the Spanish Ministry of Culture:

07 January 2025 - The Ministry of Culture has acquired the so-called Casa Gomis, located in the municipality of El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), for an amount of 7,249,077.26 euros. It is a house of great historical-artistic value, a key piece in the history of 20th century rationalist architecture in Catalonia, located on the seafront within the natural area of La Ricarda, in the Llobregat Delta, an environment of high ecological value protected by the European Union.

According to the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, "this treasure of 20th century rationalist architecture will form part, from today, of the public heritage with the aim of protecting it, conserving it and turning it into a great cultural centre 100% open to the public."

This was announced today at a press conference held at Casa Gomis, together with members of the Gomis Bertrand family, owners of the house, and accompanied by the Minister of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Sònia Hernández, and the Mayor of El Prat de Llobregat, Lluís Mijoler, "two institutions closely linked to the history and protection of this building with which we want to collaborate in the use and management of Casa Gomis," he stressed.

According to the minister, "our intention is for the theme of this new Casa Gomis Cultural Centre to revolve around the dialogue between art and nature, as Casa Gomis is one of the great architectural examples we have in Catalonia of perfect symbiosis with the natural environment."

In this sense, Urtasun explained that "in the same way that Casa Gomis was a space for avant-garde debates in the 1960s, now in 2025 we want to put it at the service of the great avant-garde debate that currently exists, which is the relationship between art and climate."

Historical and artistic values
With the purchase of this property, the Ministry of Culture guarantees the preservation of the historical and artistic values of the complex and its maintenance. Until now, the house could be visited occasionally and recently it has been part of the cultural offer of Manifesta 15, the European biennial of nomadic art that was held in Barcelona and its metropolitan area in 2024. After its acquisition, the space will become a cultural center open to all citizens, where meetings and guided tours will be held, among other activities. In addition, efforts will be made to ensure that it plays a prominent role in the programming of Barcelona as the World Capital of Architecture in 2026 and in the World Congress of Architecture of the International Union of Architects (UIA), which will also be held in Barcelona next year.

The Gomis House is a clear example of the adaptation of an abstract architectural concept to a very specific place and landscape. The symbiosis of the house and the environment is developed through a single-storey construction under the canopy of the pine trees. The transition between the natural landscape of the rest of the property and the central area appropriated by the house is achieved through a large horizontal platform that houses the garden, treated with great sobriety by means of grass meadows, paths and paved areas with orthogonal lines that extend the structure of the building and a pool that reflects its image.

Another of the unique features is that, after six decades of use, the building remains practically intact, preserving its original features, having undergone a careful restoration of the roofs and exterior carpentry in 1997. It also preserves its furniture, largely designed by the architect himself, which is included in the declaration file as part of its history.

The house was a project by the Barcelona architect Antoni Bonet Castellana for the couple formed by Ricardo Gomis and Inés Bertrand between 1949 and 1956 and was built between 1957 and 1963.

In addition, it was declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN) in the category of Historical Monument by the Generalitat of Catalonia on March 23, 2021, the highest protection figure in the current legislation on historical heritage in Catalonia.

Unique building
Casa Gomis is a typical suburban villa, common on the Catalan coast as a first or second residence for the upper bourgeoisie, but in this case it has unique characteristics due to its scale, architectural concept and construction system. It represents an almost unique example of a home for the Catalan upper bourgeoisie in the mid-20th century and a meeting place for intellectuals and artists.

Its structure and organisation, the result of the collaboration between architect Antoni Bonet and his client Ricardo Gomis, a figure committed to Catalan cultural avant-garde as a member of Club 49, incorporates spaces for the daily life of the family and service staff, together with other multipurpose spaces for holding meetings or small cultural events. In this regard, in addition to its architectural values, it must be recognised that the house was one of the meeting places for Barcelona culture during the 1960s. Casa Gomis thus became not only a unique, singular building, but also a place that allows us to understand the evolution of avant-garde cultures in Catalonia during the second half of the 20th century.

Antoni Bonet Castellana
Antoni Bonet Castellana was one of the most prominent architects of rationalism in Catalonia, a member of GATCPAC (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture) and GATEPAC (Group of Spanish Artists and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture).

Settled in Buenos Aires after the Civil War, he developed his career mainly in Uruguay and Argentina, although he also designed important works in several Spanish cities. Like other architects of his generation, he combined the development of the postulates of European rationalist architecture with the exploration of his roots in the native language of the Mediterranean area. Proof of this is, in some of his works, the combination of abstract forms and modern materials with references to traditional construction systems.

This information may be used in part or in its entirety without citing sources.
www.cultura.gob.es
prensa.cultura@cultura.gob.es
Ministerio de Cultura

Plaza del Rey, 1
28071 - MADRID
TEL: 91 701 72 66

Photo credits slideshow:
1 Ernest Urtasum, Minister of Culture, photo Lavanguardia. 2: Asier Rúa. 3: Asier Rúa. 4. Asier Rúa. 5. Asier Rúa. 6: Asier Rúa. 7: Adria Goula. 8 Kitchen: Asier Rúa. 9: Asier Rúa.

* Translated from Spanish to English with Google Translate.

Posted January 7, 2025