Fundació Mies van der Rohe
The Fundació Mies van der Rohe was set up in 1983 by the Barcelona City Hall with the initial purpose of reconstructing the German Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) for the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition.
Besides conserving and disseminating knowledge about the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, the Fundació today also fosters debate on and awareness of themes related to contemporary architecture and urban planning, as well as encouraging studies on the work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and on the Modern Movement. In accordance with these objectives, the Fundació organises awards, congresses, conferences, exhibitions, workshops and installations.
Outstanding among these activities is the organisation, jointly with the European Commission, of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, one of the most prestigious of all European architecture prizes.
The Fundació Mies van der Rohe activities
Exhibitions
The Fundació Mies van der Rohe regularly organises itinerant exhibitions documenting its own Architecture Awards, and others featuring modern and contemporary architecture in general from either a historical or present-day point of view. To this end, exhibitions devised by the Foundation itself are combined with those organised jointly with entities that pursue similar aims.
Cycles of lectures
The format of the “cycle of lectures” is designed to examine a current theme in a number of sessions, the aim of which is to offer as comprehensive an overview as possible of the state of the question.
The cycles of lectures are related to other Fundació programmes and are complemented by activities such as installations and exhibitions.
It is anticipated that two cycles will take place annually. Depending on their nature, they may be held either at the Pavilion or in other venues with greater capacity.
Fundació publications
As part of its dissemination programme, the Fundació Mies van der Rohe publishes a catalogue for each edition of the European Award. Each catalogue features the prize-winning and finalist projects with a view to providing contemporary architectural output with a frame of communicative reference.
The Fundació also publishes catalogues and books related to activities that take place at the Pavilion.
