André Ricard. Disseny en ús

Preview: written before the show opened

The museum's own photo for this show is of Ricard sitting with the Drac chair he designed for the Casa Barcelona project in 1992. That tells you what kind of designer he is: one who is photographed with a chair rather than a sketch.

The show reads Ricard in two layers. One is a selection of emblematic objects set in everyday contexts, to show how they work and why they still hold up. The other is the principles behind his practice, and his less visible work as a theorist and a promoter of Catalan and Spanish design. When it showed in Madrid until 3 May 2026, the objects stood on islands recreated as a kitchen counter, a bathroom shelf and a desk, without vitrines. The Barcelona layout isn't published yet.

Most of what you see is the stuff already on your own bathroom shelf, except that someone designed it on purpose. Entry is €6.20 (€4.20 reduced), or €8.20 combined with the other temporary shows at the museum.