Sensibility and Meaning: Reflections in the Mirror of the Arts (Antonio Fernández Alba, 1927-2024)

Abstract

Antonio Fernández Alba (1927-2024) was a crucial figure in Spanish architecture from the second half of the 20th century, known for his interdisciplinary approach and his interest in the integration of the arts. During the 1950s and 1960s, Alba developed a style sensitive to avant-garde currents, drawing inspiration from geometric abstraction, suprematism and non-figurative art, exploring painting and sculpture in parallel to his architectural work. He collaborated with renowned figures such as Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza and was a member of the El Paso Group, which promoted a modernity that broke with the past. His work and thought reflect a defence of the ‘integration of the arts’, an ideal that sought to enrich architecture through collaboration with other artistic disciplines. Fernández Alba was also a critic and essayist, denouncing the exhaustion of modern architecture in its drift towards formalism and postmodernism. His ethical and social idealism was manifested in his commitment to the community, as well as in his work as president of the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art and in the creation of the Reina Sofía Museum. His legacy stands out for his constant search for authenticity and cultural responsibility, approaching architecture not only as a technical discipline, but as a utopian and humanist project, centred on the values of modernity and progress, which he claimed until his last