La Ricarda or Casa Gomis, completed in 1963, is one of the key midcentury buildings in Spain. Barcelona-born architect Antonio Bonet Castellana, who trained with Le Corbusier and Josep Lluís Sert, designed the house while living in Buenos Aires. Working closely with the clients, Ricardo Gomis and Inés Bertrand via letters, Bonet designed every aspect of the building, from the overall organization to the materials, interior details, and furniture. Besides its architectural merit, the house is also remarkable for the critical cultural role it has played in Catalonia, particularly during Franco’s dictatorship, when the Gomis Bertrand family supported and welcomed artists and intellectuals such as John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Josep Mestres Quadreny, Carles Santos, Joan Prats, Robert Gerhard, Villèlia, Antoni Tàpies, Joan Miró and Joan Brossa, transforming it into a haven for artistic experimentation.

Having grown up in Casa Gomis, Marita Gomis discusses the design and construction of the iconic house, the cultural activities it hosted, its relevance more than five decades after it was built, and the efforts and challenges to preserve it.

This talk accompanies the exhibition La Ricarda: An Architectural and Cultural Project organized by MAS Context, on view October 12, October 19, and October 26, 2019 at Lawrence & Clark.

This event is a partner program of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

Marita Gomis, along with her five siblings, is the owner of Casa Gomis, one of the key midcentury buildings in Spain and the house she grew up in. Commissioned by Ricardo Gomis and Inés Bertrand, it was designed by Antonio Bonet Castellana and completed in 1963. A haven for artistic experimentation, the house hosted many cultural activities and continues to be a must-see destination for architecture students and professionals from around the world. Marita and the rest of the Gomis Bertrand family has diligently preserved it in its original state with the help of local architects Fernando Álvarez and Jordi Roig.

MAS Context is nonprofit a quarterly journal created by MAS Studio in Chicago that addresses concerns that affect the urban context. Each issue delivers a comprehensive view of a single topic through the active participation of people from different fields and perspectives who, together, instigate the debate.

Lawrence & Clark is a collection-based gallery run by Jason Pickleman. The collection spans more than 1000 works in all media. The storefront gallery is an opportunity to exhibit privately held artwork in a public setting. The gallery is open every Saturday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, please visit: lawrenceandclark.com.

Image: Casa Gomis, El Prat de Llobregat, 2019. © Iker Gil.

For more information on the exhibition, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio: Unraveling Modern Living, click here.