Tribute to architect Oriol Bohigas on the centenary of his birth
Jointly organized by Catalonia International, the Ateneu Barcelonès and the COAC Foundation through the Open Architecture Center
The third and final session of the cycle on International Catalan Architecture, co-organized by Catalunya Internacional, Barcelona Athenaeum and the COAC Foundation through the Open Architecture Centre, was an act of remembrance and tribute to Oriol Bohigas, coinciding with the centenary of his birth, last Saturday, December 20. The act took place at a packed Auditorium of the Athenaeum, an entity that Bohigas presided over between 2003 and 2011. The architect's family collaborated and took part in the event.
The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboní, was the first to greet the attendees and highlighted the importance of Bohigas as a transformer of the city. On behalf of the organizers, Isona Passola, president of the Atenaeum, Guim Costa, dean of the COAC, and Martí Estruch Axmacher, director of Communication and Press of Catalonia International, took the floor and welcomed everyone. For his part, the president of the Arquitectes per l'Arquitectura association, Ramon Sanabria, presented the new issue of the magazine that they have dedicated to the figure of Oriol Bohigas.
Afterwards, friends and family of Bohigas, including two daughters and the architect and partner of Bohigas for many years, Beth Galí, performed three pieces of music in remembrance of the musical evenings that were often organized at their home.
Finally, the event concluded with a conversation between architect and Bohigas' disciple Jordi Garcés; architect and former councillor of Barcelona's Old Town district Itziar Gonzàlez; plastic artist Antoni Llena, and journalist Ignasi Aragay. The conversation was moderated by Josep Bohigas, son of the honouree and also an architect. All the speakers highlighted Bohigas's capacity for work, his knowledge and wisdom, his passion for architecture but also for music and culture in general, and how he liked to provoke and argue to force his interlocutors to react and take a stance.