La Casa de los Toros de Barcelona

Abstract

The commitment of the architect Antoni de Moragas (1913–1985) to image and design in 20th century Barcelona is extensive: founder and president of the Asociación del Diseño Industrial, co-founder of Grupo R, dean of the College of Architects, member of the Board of Museums, president of the Fomento de las Artes Decorativas, FAD, from 1968 until his death, etc. His work contributed to the renovation of Catalan architecture by synthesizing the new forms of European modernity with the autochthonous building traditions through a singular, unique and expressive use of materials. For his part, Català-Roca (1922–1998) is the greatest reference of Spanish urban and documentary photography of the 20th century and the best known internationally. A great connoisseur of the Catalan avant-garde movements, he was an active part of the cultural life, contributing to fix in the memory of the Spaniards, the customs and characters of the society of his time. The visual and creative strength of both are intertwined, in an unusual way, in the building known as “La Casa de los Toros” in Barcelona (1960–1962), in which the proximity to the famous Plaza Monumental and the desire to singularize each house converge in a compositional and illustrative synthesis of the facade through the incorporation of extensive photographs with a sequence of bullfighting themes: living and moving images that transmit the cultural atmosphere of an era and are shown on an architecture that remains structured, rational and expressive.