The ‘Barcelona’ pavilion, which was built as part of the German representation at the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona stands today on its original site, just off the Plaça d'Espanya in Spain. It is a graceful monument to both its architect Mies van der Rohe and the international modernist movement.

B&B Italia recently has the opportunity to showcase some of its iconic designs in the pavilion. Even after almost 100 years it remains both modern and timeless.

Trained as an industrial embroiderer, Lilly Reich quickly emerged as a leading figure in the experimental art and design world of the Weimar Republic. By 1920 she became the first woman in a leadership role at the influential Deutscher Werkbund, an association of German artists, architects and designers that paved the modernist foundations for the Bauhaus School. In 1924, Reich started to work at the Frankfurt trade fair office where she managed an exhibition design studio and where she met Ludvig Mies van der Rohe. This was the beginning of a very productive personal and professional partnership that would result in the iconic Pavilion.

Becoming the artistic director of the German contribution at the exposition of 1929, Reich engaged Mies, who designed a superbly elegant structure with its iconic floating roof and spectacular use of the luxurious materials. But Reich’s creative contribution to the pavilion should not be overlooked. It is impossible to ignore the flair she had for transparency and clean lines in her designs for shop windows and exhibition displays.

B&B Italia is grateful to have the opportunity to showcase some of its iconic designs in such a historic place, which after almost 100 years continues to be modern and timeless.