In the heart of Barcelona, you’ll find La Pedrera, a work that represents the culmination of Antoni Gaudí’s brilliant career. It fuses innovation and natural inspiration exquisitely in a design that defied the conventions of its time.

Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1984, La Pedrera is a demonstration of Gaudí’s commitment to natural forms and functionality. Its wavy design feels organic, as if it’s a living being whose heart beats in tune with the city. This building is a breathtaking combination of aesthetics and purpose that evokes that harmony of nature.

La Pedrera boasts the most impressive roof terrace in Barcelona. From this spot, you can appreciate sweeping views across the city and enjoy Gaudí’s vision at its finest: sculptural chimneys appear to be guardians of the building. This architectural masterpiece stands as a monument to Gaudí’s unique vision and an artistic expression that have made it an icon of Barcelona. In addition, La Pedrera is the headquarters of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera. This private, independent foundation allocates its profits to social projects and creates cultural and exhibition experiences that stimulate reflection and critical thinking.

The building is currently hosting an Antonio López exhibition. It is the first retrospective exhibition of the Spanish realist artist to be presented in Barcelona and brings together a curated selection of 100 works, including painting, sculpture and drawing. Visitors can trace his artistic career over seven decades, from his youthful creations in the 1950s to his most recent work. Structured in thematic blocks, the exhibition – organised by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera – shows that artist’s most favoured motifs persist and, at the same time, evolve throughout his career: domestic interiors, landscapes and urban views – mainly of Madrid – along with still lifes and the human form.

 

Antonio López (Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, 1936) is undoubtedly the quintessential representative of the Spanish realist movement in the second half of the 20th century. Produced slowly, thoughtfully and thoroughly, his work has no room for simplification. As the artist says: “A work never ends, but rather reaches the limit of its own possibilities.”