José María García de Paredes. Meeting spaces, in October

On October 2, the ICO Museum will open the season with a major new exhibition: "José María García de Paredes. Meeting Spaces", to commemorate the centenary of the birth of one of the main Spanish architects in the second half of the 20th century.

José María García de Paredes was especially known for his public architecture projects, among whose programs the large auditoriums stood out. The exhibition will be curated by the architect Ángela García de Paredes.

José María García de Paredes in the church of Almendrales, Madrid, 1965. Photography by Alberto Schommer, VEGAP, Madrid, 2024. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

The exhibition offers an overview of the architect's most emblematic works, showing a broad perspective of his architectural career, and highlighting his innovative proposals and his influence on modern Spanish architecture.

The exhibition is organised around a journey through four decades of work, from 1950 to 1990. This journey will show previously unseen images of his most unique projects, such as the National Music Auditorium and the Aquinas College (built with Rafael de La-Hoz) in Madrid.

The journey proposed by the exhibition is complemented by the contextualisation of his work, relating it to the rich cultural, architectural and artistic panorama of his time, highlighting his link with music.

The exhibition has been made possible thanks to the collaboration between the ICO Foundation and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, which has carried out (with the close assistance of Ángela and Manuel García de Paredes) the rigorous cataloguing of the original material from the García de Paredes archive, donated by the family to the institution in 2021 and from which the ICO Museum has received more than 400 works on loan, including plans, models, drawings and photographs.

Church of Our Lady of Fuencisla. Almendrales village Madrid 1961-1964. Photography by Alberto Schommer, VEGAP, Madrid, 2024. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Installation of Guernica and sketches. Casón del Buen Retiro Madrid 1981. Photography by Lluís Casals. VEGAP Madrid 2024. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Bank of Granada offices in Madrid, 1964-1965. Photograph by Alberto Schommer, VEGAP, Madrid, 2024. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Pigeon Shooting in the Cubillas Reservoir. Granada 1966 - 1967. Photography by Lluís Casals. VEGAP Madrid 2024. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Stella Maris Church and Convent in Malaga 1961-1964. Photograph by José Hevia. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Chamber of Commerce of Cordoba 1951-1952. Photograph by José Hevia. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

604 / 5.000 Manuel de Falla Auditorium. Granada 1974-1978. Photography by Jesús Granada. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Palau de la Música. Valencia 1984-1987. Photography by Lluís Casals. VEGAP Madrid 2024. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

National Music Auditorium. Madrid 1982 - 1988. Photography by Paredes Pedrosa. Courtesy of the ICO Museum.

Portrait of José María García de Paredes (1978). Photograph Courtesy of the JMGP Archive.

Portrait of José María García de Paredes in the Pantheon in Rome (1957). Photograph Courtesy of the JMGP Archive.

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More information

Label

Exhibition

Text

José María García de Paredes. Espacios de encuentro.

Label

Curator

Text

Ángela García de Paredes.

Label

Dates

Text

From October 2, 2024 to January 12th, 2025.

Label

Location

Text

C/. de Zorrilla, 3. 28014 - Madrid, Spain.

José María García de Paredes

José María García de Paredes (Sevilla, 1924-Madrid, 1990) was an influential Spanish architect, recognised for his role in the modern movement. His works have been awarded the Grand Prix de Rome (1955), where he resided at the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts until 1958; the National Prize for Architecture (1956) and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts (1990).

His work is characterised by a functionalist approach and careful aesthetics, combining efficiency and beauty. In addition, his relationship with figures from the cultural scene of the time stands out, a fact that the exhibition also focuses on. This is amply exemplified by the family bond between the architect and Manuel de Falla, which promotes projects such as the National Music Auditorium in Madrid or the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada.

ARQUITECTOS PAREDES PEDROSA

Ángela García de Paredes (1958) and Ignacio García Pedrosa (1957) are architects by the Architecture School of Madrid, where they teach. Invited professors in other spanish and foreign universities for teaching, critics and speakers. In 1990 they founded Paredes Pedrosa Studio, after collaborating with José María García de Paredes for several years.

They are authors of, among other works, the Valdemaqueda Town Hall, Valle Inclán Theatre in Madrid, the Archaelogical Museum of Almería, Peñíscola Auditorium, La Olmeda Roman Ville, Ceuta Library or the Lugo Auditorium. Their work has been recognized with the 2007 Spanish Architecture National Award, ar+d Award, Europan II and IV, Europa Nostra, Madrid Architecture Award, Mansilla Award, Gold Medal International Prize for Sustainable Architecture, Mediterranean Sustaniable Architecture Award and 'Golden Medal for the Merit in Fine Arts' 2014, given by the Culture and Sports Spanish Ministery. Their work has been exhibited in many national and international architecture biennials.