Spain acquires Casa Gomis, a rationalist masterpiece and Manifesta 15 venue

The Spanish government has purchased Casa Gomis (La Ricarda), a rationalist villa in El Prat de Llobregat near Barcelona, for €7.2 million. The property, designed by Antoni Bonet Castellana between the late 1940s and early 1960s, served as a main venue for Manifesta 15 Barcelona Metropolitana, which ended in November 2024. Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun accelerated the acquisition following awareness efforts by the Manifesta team. The villa, declared a Cultural Asset of National Interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 2021, features eleven identical modules with Catalan vaults, large windows, and a garden by Moisés Villélia. It was originally a holiday home for the Gomis Bertrand family and later a cultural hub for avant-garde artists and musicians. The government plans to turn it into a public cultural center focused on the dialogue between art and nature, as part of Barcelona's UNESCO World Capital of Architecture 2026 program. The site faces threats from airport expansion and climate change, having closed temporarily in October 2024 due to heavy rains.