Josep Maria Jujol (1879-1949) was a Catalan Modernista architect, draughtsman, designer and painter. A follower of Antoni Maria Gallissà and Lluís Domènech i Muntaner, he completed his architecture studies in 1906 and was also a professor at the Higher School of Architecture in Barcelona
He collaborated with Antoni Gaudí, adding his own personality to the work. In fact, the architect Gaudí trusted him to design parts of his projects, giving him total creative freedom.
As from 1904 he worked with Gaudí on the design of the main façade of the Casa Batlló, as well as the wrought iron railings and some of the plaster ceilings at the Casa Milà (popularly known as ‘La Pedrera’), among other projects.
Jujol’s work cannot be categorised. He participated in artistic movements such as Surrealism and Dadaism, as well as using abstract and informalist approaches. Some of Jujol’s most notable architectural works are the Teatre Metropol (1908) in Tarragona; the reform of Casa Bofarull (1913 – 1931) in Els Pallaresos, Tarragona; the Torre de la Creu (1913 – 1916) in Sant Joan Despí, Barcelona and the Vistabella Church (1918) in La Secuita, Tarragona.
Of his collaboration with Gaudí, there is notably the Casa Batlló (1904 – 1906) in Barcelona, with its main façade and furniture; the Casa Milá (La Pedrera) (1906 – 1910) in Barcelona, its balcony railings and plaster ceilings; the Park Gúell (1900 – 1914) in Barcelona, with the “trencadís” technique bench and ceilings in the hypostyle room as well as Mallorca Cathedral (1909 – 1910) in Palma de Mallorca, with paintings for the Gothic masonry for the choir and facings on the apse walls.
Lluís Pau, Castellfollit de la Roca, 1950.
An industrial and interior designer, he joined the architect’s studio MBM (Martorell-Bohigas-Mackay) in 1973. As from 1978 he took over Estudi IDP where he develops his projects for exhibitions, museums, temporary spaces, libraries, stage sets and signage, among others.
He combines his work as a designer with teaching at the Escola Eina and also publishes articles and books and gives talks.
The items designed by Lluís Pau stand out for their minimalism and rationalism and their origins date back to the aesthetic approach promoted by Bauhaus. Estudi IDP has won awards for many of its products, including the following: Abac furniture, Nuta stool and Nuflo plant pot (ADI-FAD Delta Selection); Presentation of Canal+ in Barcelona (FAD Award ’90 and FAD Gran Prix ’90); Gala for the ADGFAD ’92 Awards (Laus Silver ’93 and FAD Award ’93); “Gaudí. The search for Form” exhibition (FAD Award ’03); Liceu underground station, Barcelona (Winning Project ‘05), among many others.
Montse Padrós, Badalona, 1952
Montse Padrós is an industrial and interior designer trained at Escola de Disseny Elisava and at Escola d’Arts i Oficis in Barcelona. After working for the architect’s studio MBM Arquitectes (Martorell-Bohigas-Mackay), the Joaquim Prats studio and for AD Associate Designers, she has been working for herself since 1991.
Montse Padrós sees design as observation and reflection, helping to amalgamate and order the needs of the product both in functional and formal terms, with form and function becoming an essential part of the product.
Of note among her designs is the ONA coat stand, designed together with Carles Riart, which is produced by Mobles 114 and won the ADI_FAD Delta Gold in 1992.
Josep Torres Clavé, Barcelona 1906 – Els Omellons 1939.
Architect, urban developer, designer and pedagogue, he was a founding member of GATPAC (Group of Spanish Artists and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture) and a leading introducer of rationalist architecture in our country.
Torres Clavé started his career in architecture together with Josep Lluís Sert and Antoni Bonet Castellana. In fact, with Josep Lluís Sert and Joan Baptista Subirana he constructed some of the most important buildings in Catalan rationalism, such as the Ciutat de Repós i Vacances in Castelldefels (1932) and the Dispensari General Antituberculós in Barcelona (1936).
He ran the magazine AC (A. C. Documents of Contemporary Activity), helping to introduce artists such as Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Erich Mendelsohn, Van Doesburg, Neutra, Lubetkin, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso; working to spread architecture, design and contemporary art in a society wanting to modernise, in competition with a supremely contemporary Europe. He left behind a brief but important legacy in his short career as a designer. He designed chairs, tables and lights, among other items of furniture, including the Torres Clavé armchair, re-released by Mobles 114.
Josep Torres Clavé died aged 33 during the Spanish Civil War.
Gerard Moliné, La Seu d’Urgell, 1977.
An industrial designer, his work stands out for the fundamentally conceptual and artistic approach used to develop ideas, products and experiences. Closely related to nature, Moliné works by constantly observing and experiencing his environment. His work does not transform or use nature to produce proposals but rather the opposite: he deliberately uses natural processes to explore and create a dialogue between the person and their environment.
In 2003, together with Martín Azúa, he founded the studio Azúamoliné and then, in 2008, set up the studio Gerardmoliné, where he’s developed most of his work.
Among various awards and distinctions he’s received the ADI FAD 2002 medal, the Expohogar Regalo 2005, Top Nominated INDEX 2005, Expohogar Regalo 2006 and Delta Silver 2007.
Lagranja Design is a design studio set up in 2002 in the city of Barcelona by Gerard Sanmartí and Gabriele Schiavon.
They design products and interior architecture with an international scope. Their work can be recognised by its clarity of form; a life story hides behind every product and its design is always friendly and closely related to people. Many of their projects develop from them working on a specific idea related directly or indirectly to the product, very often surprising us with the resulting ingenious solution.
Over the years Lagranja has gathered together a team of professionals from a wide range of disciplines such as product, graphic and interior design but with a common identity that runs through all the different projects they’ve carried out for leading design firms, including Foscarini, Poltrona Frau and Santa & Cole.
Gerard Sanmartí, Barcelona 1974.
Degree in design from Elisava and Bachelor of Arts with Honours from Southampton.
Gabriele Schiavon, Padua, 1973.
Architect, Venice University.
Germán Rodríguez Arias (Barcelona, 1902 – 1987).
Catalan architect and designer, together with Josep Lluís Sert, Josep Torres Clavé, Sixte Illescas and Ricardo de Churruca, among others, he introduced architectural rationalism to Catalonia and was a founding member of GATCPAC. The buildings he designed in the city of Barcelona form part of the heritage of universal rationalist architecture.
During his exile in Mexico and subsequently in Chile, he focused his work on designing interiors and furniture; as a result of his very close relationship with the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, Rodríguez Arias was the architect behind the various homes Neruda had built in Chile during his lifetime. Together with Cristián Aguadé and Claudi Tarragó he founded Muebles Sur, which would become one of the country’s leading furniture makers.
In 1957 he returned to his homeland and settled on Ibiza, once again getting together with his companions Sert, Prats and Illescas. He worked as a municipal architect on the island, combining this with projects as a private architect and principally designing hotels and homes, including his own house at Portinatx.
Carles Riart, Barcelona 1944.
Carles Riart is impossible to pigeonhole as a designer. He’s very interested in how furniture is actually built and, after training at the Escola Eina, he worked shoulder to shoulder with a cabinetmaker with whom he’s also developed some of his pieces. Carles Riart could be defined more accurately as a “furniture maker” than a designer in the normal sense of the word. His work is based on constructive knowledge and on traditional skills, designing furniture that represents both tradition and modernity.
Also of note is his facet as an interior designer, both for films and also for restaurants, offices, shops and private homes, with a distinctive style and personality that has created his own hallmark. In 1969, at the beginning of his career and together with the filmmaker Bigas Luna, he set up in Barcelona the interior design studio and store called Gris. Later on in 1974 he founded the studio and workshop Diputació, a precursor to self-producing promoters of design.
Regarding the relationship between Mobles 114 and Carles Riart, in 1976 there was an exhibition of his furniture and a catalogue was published entitled “1st Collection of special furniture”; in 1992 Riart once again worked with Mobles 114 on the exhibition “<<Useful>>, furniture collection by Carlos Riart Llop“ and his work was later shown on several occasions at other exhibitions, such as “Lost Objects”, 1996, and the series designed for Josep Carreras (1996-2000) in collaboration with Pepe Cortés.
He has won awards from the Furniture Contemporary Resources Council (New York, 1983), the Top Ten European Prize (Cologne, 1994), Grand Prix de la Presse Internationale (Paris, 1994) and the National Design Award 2011, as well as numerous Delta Prizes, especially the Gold Delta for his ONA coat stand, designed together with Montse Padrós in 1992.
André Ricard, Barcelona 1929.
A pioneer of Spanish industrial design, André Ricard was Chairman of ADI-FAD, Founding Chairman of ADP and a member of the Faculty of the Art Centre (Switzerland), among other positions.
An internationally renowned author, he has designed containers, utensils, lighting, domestic appliances and items of furniture that have ended up forming part of our everyday lives at home. Among his most well-known designs are the Copenhagen ashtray, released by Mobles 114, and the Olympic torch for the Barcelona 1992 Games.
Taking a logical, analytical approach he “harmoniously integrates the most beautiful form with the demands of the function”, applying a style of design that’s classic because it’s timeless and never becomes outmoded.
André Ricard has been recognised with Spain’s National Design Award, the Sant Jordi Cross from the Catalan government, the Olympic Order of the International Olympic Committee and the Gold Medal for Artistic Merit of the city of Barcelona, and has also been made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur of France.
Jorge Pensi, Buenos Aires 1946.
An Argentine designer living in Barcelona, he founded the Jorge Pensi Design Studio in 1987 after forming part of the Grup Berenguer made up of Norberto Chaves, Oriol Pibernat and Alberto Lievore, and also collaborating with this firm until 1984. Characterised by his thorough approach, his designs stand out for their timeless nature and their minimalist forms with which he always conveys emotions, going beyond mere function; in this way his work adds beauty and poetic sensitivity. Some of his products, such as the Toledo chair (1988), are internationally renowned design icons.
Jorge Pensi teaches design at the Eina and Elisava schools in Barcelona and his designs form part of the most prestigious furniture collections in various museums worldwide, including the Vitra Design Museum.
In 1997 he won the National Design Award.
Javier Mariscal, Valencia 1950.
He’s developed his career in Barcelona but earned an international reputation with his inimitable light-hearted language impregnated with a Mediterranean feel and an extensive use of colour. Mariscal is a creator of images on all kinds of supports and in all kinds of disciplines, with an innocent vision that nevertheless always aims to tease and provoke a reaction. His work combines and intermingles the different disciplines he’s involved in; that’s why the furniture designed by Mariscal always has a surprising visual impact and notable graphic interpretation that merges with the object and is guaranteed to be noticed.
Some of the highlights from his career are items of furniture that have become design icons, as well as a large number of exhibitions, the creation of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games mascot, Cobi, and the cartoon feature film “Chico & Rita” by Fernando Trueba.
He won the National Design Award in 1999 and the National Culture Award in 2011, and is recognised as an Honorary Member of the Royal Design Industry. He’s also won various Laus and AdiFad Delta Selections and Prizes.
Eugeni Quitllet, Ibiza, 1972.
Studied in Barcelona and began his international career alongside Philippe Stark. In its way abroad he has grown curiosity and desire to excel collaborating with global firms. In 2011, he returned to Barcelona and founded his own studio. Eugeni Quitllet’s creativity always surprise, it’s brilliant and very expressive.
His designs are resisting trends and they have their own style, iconic and true at the same time. He has been described as refreshing designer, tireless seeker and a lover of technology; he defines himself as a “disoñador” (“dreamsigner”, designer and dreamer) who follows an instinctive process.
For him, the design should be exceptional; each object means a challenge, a curious look into the matter to see what kind of designs are hidden inside.
Martín Azúa, Vitoria 1965.
A Basque designer who works in the city of Barcelona combining teaching and the design of products, interiors and also temporary installations. Highly committed to the environment and society, his work is based on abstraction and, at the same time, experimentation.
The result is a coherent discourse both in his more conceptual proposals as well as his everyday objects. Fascinated by the savoir faire of tradition and craftsmanship, he’s worked very closely with a lot of skilled craftsmen and women to create objects of undeniable beauty where design and tradition are brought firmly together to demonstrate his commitment to society and material and technological culture.
Among his more famous projects is the “Basic House” which has formed part of the permanent collection at the MOMA in New York since 2007, as well as the Barcelona World Swimming Championship medals in 2003 and the design of the SED Exhibition for Expo Zaragoza 2008.
City of Barcelona Prize 2000, Delta de Plata Prize 2007, FAD Architecture / Temporary Installations Prize 2008, Design Plus Prize 2009, Interiorismo Plus Prize 2009, AD Prize as the Best Designer of 2010 and Delta de Plata Prize 2011.
Miguel Milá Sagnier, Barcelona, 1931.
Miguel Milá, who started his career in the late 1950s, sees himself as a pre-industrial designer. Together with André Ricard, Antoni de Moragas, Oriol Bohigas and Rafael Marquina, among others, he was the co-founder of the ADI FAD association, set up to promote and disseminate industrial design both nationally and internationally.
His work as an interior designer for the studio of Federico Correa and Alfonso Milá stands out, remarkably, for its ability to impart comfort and elegance to the spaces he creates. His designs are the result of painstaking but seemingly simple work which has led to many of his products being recognised as icons of our country’s industrial design.
He won the very first National Design Award in 1987, Compasso d’Oro and Gold Medal for Fine Arts 2016.
Joan Gaspar, Barcelona 1966.
An industrial designer, Gaspar began his career in the 1980s working with Lluís Porqueres on designing lights and he has mainly focused on lighting design throughout his career. He’s renowned for his elementary, intelligent technical solutions which steadily achieve brilliant results and make his designs both useful and markedly timeless.
His passion for design and extensive knowledge of production techniques form an essential part of his approach and the aim of his lights is to go unnoticed: “even when they’re turned on, their goal is to provide well-being and warmth”.
Apart from working on designs he also teaches at Escola Eina on the subject of Projects, as well as being Creative Director at Marset. He has been awarded several Delta Prizes during his career, including those for the Atlas light in 2001 and the Neón de Luz in 2005.
Álvaro Siza Vieira, Matosinhos 1933.
Álvaro Siza was born in Matosinhos, Portugal. An internationally renowned architect, he created his first designs in Portugal where he earned a reputation for their elegant, respectful integration within the architecture and landscape. The Marés swimming pools at Leça de Palmeira and the Da Boa Nova restaurant are a good example of this.
Siza’s architecture is guileless, minimal and efficient, conveying a sense of withdrawal or inner contemplation; architecture that has been constructed in many different countries in the world but always preserving this capacity to provoke contemplation.
He’s won many different architecture prizes including the Mies Van der Rohe Award in 1988 and the Pritzker Prize of 1992.
Antoni Arola, Tarragona, 1960.
Arola balances design, artistic experimentation and research into light, creating designs for lighting, furniture, interiors and exhibitions.
A constant quest for beauty is visible in his work, revealing a very personal approach with clear and honest lines. His work has been shown in individual and collective exhibitions in Barcelona, New York, Milan, London, Tokyo and Mexico, among other locations.
He’s been awarded the Delta Silver Design Prize in 1999, 2001 and 2012, the National Design Award in 2003 and the 2009 I-Plus Award for best lighting.
JM Massana, Barcelona, 1947.
JM Tremoleda, Barcelona, 1946.
Pioneers of industrial design in Barcelona, both graduated from Escola Massana as part of its first ever intake of industrial design students, in 1969. In 1968 JM Massana and JM Tremoleda, together with Jordi Domènech and Francesc Miravitlles, created “Equip de Disseny”. In 1973, together with Mariano Ferrer, they founded Mobles 114, a furniture store and interior design studio where they don’t only create the store’s designs but also promote the work by other designers such as Carles Riart, at a time when social and cultural changes were taking place in which design would play a vital role.
As a result of its commitment to the aesthetic values of modernity and the promotion of design, Mobles 114 has become one of the country’s leading promoters of furniture, publishing a catalogue of coherent contemporary furniture that emphasises humanistic values as an integral part of its identity. Beyond their indisputable work as promoters at Mobles 114, Massana – Tremoleda also design many of the items of furniture in the collection. Their work stands out for the importance given to the object’s functionality and for their refusal to adhere to purely formalist aspects. Honesty becomes essential and aesthetics the outcome.
Many of their designs still form part of the Mobles 114 catalogue thanks to their timeless quality and continuation on the market; they are items of furniture that, far from being passing fads, are still up-to-date and relevant.
The work of Massana –Tremoleda as promoters and entrepreneurs for the Mobles 114 brand was recognised by the jury for the 2001 National Award “for the perseverance and coherence demonstrated over the years, reflected in the quality of their products”.