Seny i rauxa. An Account of Catalan Architecture

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Image courtesy of Disseny Hub Barcelona.

A broad and evocative journey through Catalan architecture, highlighting its richness, diversity, and historical continuity. The starting point is the recognition of an unbroken thread that links the founding of the School of Architecture in 1875 with contemporary practices and sensibilities. A thread that runs through generations, styles, and turbulent periods, yet remains alive through a way of working in which restraint and audacity, rigor and instinct coexist, in a balance popularly known as seny and rauxa.

The exhibition moves away from a chronological approach and instead adopts a thematic structure that invites observation, dialogue, and comparison. The works are presented in unexpected conversations that reveal affinities, tensions, and resonances between pieces from different periods. This approach makes it possible to understand architecture not only as a technical discipline, but also as a cultural expression deeply rooted in its territory and, at the same time, open to global influences.

The itinerary includes a wide range of architectural materials: sketches that capture the initial creative gesture, drawings and plans that define forms and structures, models that give volume to ideas, and photographs that document their life and impact. Together, these elements offer an intimate view of the architectural creation process, often invisible to the general public.

In addition, the exhibition incorporates works of art and design (paintings, sculptures, furniture, and other objects) that build bridges between visual languages and different ways of interpreting space. This combination is not ornamental; it reflects a desire to show how architecture is in constant dialogue with the arts and how, taken together, they contribute to imagining ways of life, aesthetics, and social forms. The result is an expanded reading of Catalan architectural heritage that transcends disciplinary boundaries and places architecture at the heart of a shared creative ecosystem.

With around four hundred works, the exhibition offers a collective perspective that reflects expressive movements, social contexts, and cultural transformations. It invites careful looking, recognition of the diversity of authors, and an understanding of architectural heritage as a living organism: a set of ideas in continuous transformation.

The exhibition also seeks to be a space for discovery and reflection, capable of engaging both professionals and those encountering the subject for the first time. It is an opportunity to reaffirm the role of architecture in shaping collective identity and to show how, over time, seny and rauxa have coexisted in the creation of spaces that define how we live, relate to one another, and imagine the future.

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