A. C. The GATEPAC magazine (1931-1937)

GATEPAC – Grupo de Artistas y Técnicos Españoles para el Progreso de la Arquitectura Contemporánea (Group of Spanish Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Contemporary Architecture) – was founded in Zaragoza in 1930. In the context of Spain’s Second Republic, this organisation used the pages of its magazine A.C. (Actividad Contemporánea) to spread the innovations in art and architecture introduced by European modernity. The exhibition at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía traces the paths taken by the protagonists of GATEPAC to accentuate the approval and prestige it achieved internationally.

A.C. magazine was published quarterly in Barcelona between 1931 and 1937, producing a total of 25 issues. Its innovative design and defiant contents constitute one of the greatest legacies of the 20th-century avant-garde in Spain, which was cut short by the arrival of the Spanish Civil War. Its creators were young architects who were drawn to the rationalist style, the simplification of forms and intervention in green zones, and who were particularly interested in achieving a functional city capable of overcoming deficiencies in transportation, housing, health care and leisure. Driven by their dedication to modernising the arts in Spain, they also debated on photography, film and interior design. Moreover, the magazine served to publicise the work of GATEPAC members, who used it to organise debates and spread news about cultural magazines and books of the day. This intense activity made the publication an ideal catalyst for the Spanish architectural avant-garde, with the support of important architects such as Le Corbusier, Gropius and Mies van der Rohe who also published in the magazine. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía exhibition explores its pages and focuses on both the precursors and the masters of international architecture, the heart of which is the city and modern life.

A. C. The GATEPAC magazine (1931-1937)
Kuratoren: Josep Maria Rovira, Enrique Granell, Antonio Pizza, Jose Angel Sanz