INTRO
The Llotja School has been the leading center for artistic education in Catalonia since its founding in 1775. Over the course of its 250-year history, the School has trained a long list of professionals in art, artistic trades, and design—key figures in the past, present, and future of the arts in our country.
Llotja250. To Train, To Imagine, To Create opens a window into the School’s journey, from its beginnings as a training center for workers in Barcelona’s manufacturing industries to its current status as a top-tier educational institution in the fields of fine arts, applied arts, and design. Tracing the unique trajectory of the Llotja School offers a glimpse into more than two centuries of creative activity and reveals one of the most fascinating and vibrant periods of our recent history.
1775
-1900
On January 23, 1775, the Free School of Design was inaugurated, promoted by the Junta Particular de Comercio of Barcelona and located on the second floor of the Llotja de Mar building—hence the school soon became popularly known as the Llotja School. In 1849, Llotja came under the authority of the newly established Provincial Academy of Fine Arts. From that point on, the Academy took over its management and the teaching provided there, until the restructuring of the artistic education system in Spain in 1900.
This was a period of great effervescence and significance, marked by the expansion of academic offerings, the introduction of new pedagogical methods, the establishment of the museum, and the internationalization of training.
ANTIQUITY AS AN IDEAL
When the Llotja School is founded, Neoclassicism is becoming the dominant artistic movement, reflecting the Enlightenment spirit that has spread across Europe. The language of antiquity, inspired by Greece and Rome—the cradle of Western civilization—becomes the defining feature of academic art from its inception. This explains the relevance and lasting influence of classical art in artistic education during the 18th and 19th centuries.
At the time, copying models is considered the foundation of an artist’s education. Students use prints and sculptures of ancient masters as references, forming collections of great interest that eventually become true museums, such as the one preserved today by the Academia de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi.
A WORLD WITHIN REACH
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Llotja is an institution open to the world—though within the perspectives and worldview of the time. Prints, photographs, and manuals allow students to discover other artistic and cultural traditions. Scholarships and awards enable study trips abroad at a time when travel is difficult and expensive. Initially, Rome is the primary destination, offering close contact with the much-desired classical world. Over time, however, scholarship recipients venture to more diverse locations. It is in this context that the first Catalan artists to gain international recognition emerge, such as Damià Campeny and Marià Fortuny.
NATURE STUDIES
In the mid-19th century, anatomy studies are introduced, marking a significant advancement in artistic training. Teaching methods encourage students to combine copying ancient art with studying live models. Mastering the expression of emotions and correctly depicting movement and dynamism become essential skills for artists of the time, especially in portraiture.
However, it is in the field of landscape painting that the most changes take place. The importance of plein air painting—capturing nature directly outdoors—is widely debated. Beyond the longstanding tradition of flower studies at the academy, this shift aligned with the rise of realism, that is spreading across Europe and demanding a renewal of teaching methodologies. In this regard, Ramon Martí i Alsina, influenced by French ideals, plays a key role in advocating for this new approach.
PEDAGOGICAL MANUALS
Since its inception, Llotja’s library has housed manuals, albums, and illustrated magazines of great pedagogical interest, along with reference works from world literature. These materials are made available to students to enhance their knowledge across a wide range of topics. Most of these materials come from other European countries, at a time when acquiring such publications is not easy. Throughout the 19th century, the collections expand significantly, reflecting the evolution and diversification of the curriculum and aligning with the ideals of progress and 19th-century positivism.
WOMEN AT LLOTJA
Although women are not allowed to enrol until the late 19th century, by the early 20th century, Llotja becomes one of the pioneering institutions in Catalonia for the professionalization of women in the arts. The first female professors are Francesca García Ortiz and Emília Coranty i Llurià, who teach at the Academia Escola de Dibuix per a Nenes i Adultes (School of Drawing for Girls and Women), beginning classes in 1883.
Since then, the presence and recognition of female creators has grown significantly. Undoubtedly, their crucial role in the school today is a legacy of the pioneering women who pave the way at the turn of the century.
A GREAT HOUSE
Llotja is both an educational and social space. The sculptor Frederic Marès, a former director of the school, described it as “a great house.” Indeed, in its most human dimension, daily life at the school has been shaped by teachers, students, and administrators, as well as by various professionals providing services, such as custodians, clerks, models, and external collaborators.
Llotja has been the setting for passionate debates about educational approaches, the formation of networks and associations among artists of different generations, and even the transformation of models into artists. Since its foundation, numerous generations of students and teachers have passed through this “great house,” some of whom have become prominent figures in international art.
1900
-2025
The year 1900 is symbolically significant, not only because of the turn of the century but also due to the transformations that take place at the school, foreshadowing the great diversification it would undergo over the next hundred years. That year, the curriculum is reformed, and teaching methods are modernized. From then on, disciplines related to craftsmanship gain prominence, eventually evolving into what we now call design.
Llotja is not immune to the political and social changes that shaped the 20th century. A crucial moment comes in the 1940s, just after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), when the school is permanently divided into two sections: one for Fine Arts (now the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona) and another for Applied Arts, which is the predecessor of today’s Escola Superior de Disseny i Art Llotja.
MODERNISME, THE AWAKENING OF ARTS AND CRAFTS
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Modernisme transformed architecture, visual arts, and decorative arts. Modernisme draws inspiration from nature and organic forms, placing great importance on craftsmanship, which becomes a fundamental element in artistic creation and is taught at the school.
Applied arts experience a great boom, with the use of wrought iron for grilles and balconies, sgraffito and decorative ceramics for facades and interiors, and colourful stained glass that brings light and expression to buildings and furniture. Carved woodwork, marquetry, and mosaics are also promoted, enhancing both architecture and furniture. Needle arts, illustration, bookbinding, poster design, scenography, and many other creative disciplines flourish in Catalonia at the turn of the century.
Modernisme not only transforms cities but also champions the artisan trade, a legacy that will endure during Noucentisme. The Modernist fusion of functionality and beauty, at a time of industrial expansion, lays the foundation for the development of design culture.
THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECTION OF CATALAN ART
The Llotja School is a fundamental centre for training artists who leave a lasting mark on international contemporary art. Pablo Picasso, who studies there in his youth, helps build the visual language of Cubism. Joan Miró, also connected to Llotja, develops his own Surrealist style, characterized by abstract forms and vibrant colours, shaping the avant-garde of the 20th century. Josep Guinovart, heir to Informalism, combines painting and objects to express social commitment and poetic visual language. Meanwhile, Jaume Plensa, a globally recognized sculptor and versatile artist, works with light, typography, and volume to explore human identity. All of them, along with many others, have brought Catalan art onto the international stage, enriching it with unique and personal perspectives.
THE CONSOLIDATION OF DESIGN IN BARCELONA
Throughout the 20th century, design culture takes shape in Catalonia, a process that undoubtedly energizes and evolves education at the Llotja School. The impact of FAD (now Foment de les Arts i el Disseny), founded in 1903 as the successor to the Centre de les Arts Decoratives (1892), is crucial in establishing a network of design professionals in the city. By the late 1920s, GATCPAC (Catalan acronym for Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Advancement of Contemporary Architecture) advocates for the modernization of architecture and design. Towards the end of the century, in the 1990s, the celebration of the Barcelona ‘92 Olympic Games marks a turning point for the city, contributing to a renewal of Catalan design and solidifying the “BCN brand” as an international reference. Innovation and creative dynamism establish Barcelona as a global design capital.
LLOTJA, A VISION FOR THE FUTURE FROM THE PRESENT
Llotja is a leading institution in training professionals in the fields of art and design, a space that prepares new generations and equips them to face the creative challenges of the future. Today, Escola Llotja carries on a tradition backed by over two centuries of excellence, while also positioning itself as a high-level training centre, characterized by innovation and avant-garde approaches, for the more than 1,400 students who study there each year.
The selection of works in this section of the exhibition is a testament to the richness and dynamism of Llotja today. Proposed by the school’s various departments, the creations presented here offer a global and representative vision of the disciplines taught at the school today. We invite you to discover recent works by both teachers and students, reflecting the present of Escola Llotja while also offering a glimpse into the future of art and design in our region.
