Exhibition

Madrid Metropolis: The Dream of Antonio Palacios

09/04/2025

Imágenes cortesía de CentroCentro

On view through 6 July at CentroCentro Madrid and curated by Javier-Gutiérrez Mosteiro and Julián García Muñoz, this exhibition is a detailed look at the work of the prominent Galician architect Antonio Palacios Ramilo (1874-1945). His influence was fundamental in shaping the Spanish capital’s urban landscape, and through over 150 items (plans, drawings, watercolors, books, and photographs) ‘Madrid Metropolis: The Dream of Antonio Palacios’ is an invitation to learn about the projects that marked the city’s identity.

The exhibition begins with an introductory space that explores his architectural training and his early works. Thereafter, the focus is on the main axes of his works in Madrid. The first of these axes is the area encompassed between Calle Mayor, the Puerta del Sol, and Calle Alcalá, where Palacios left his stamp in monumental buildings like the Círculo de Bellas Artes, the Banco Español del Río de la Plata (now headquarters of the Cervantes Institute), and the Palacio de Comunicaciones (the current Palacio de Cibeles).

The next room shows his interventions along the Gran Vía, including the Matesanz building and the Alfonso XIII and Florida hotels. Another standout is his contribution to the urban development of the Prado-Castellana axis, in particular with the Hospital de Jornaleros de San Francisco de Paula (known as Hospital de Maudes), which reflect his vision of the city’s growth towards the north.

An important part is devoted to the Madrid Metro, for which Palacios designed stations, street-level entrance ‘mouths,’ and even iconic logos. The show culminates with an ‘axis of dreams, a section on unexecuted schemes like a Puerta del Sol revamp and the Gran Vía Aérea, besides a reflection on the legacy of Palacios, his futuristic vision, and the dialogue he established between tradition and modernity.

An article by Javier García-Gutiérrez, Mosteiro, La construcción de la metrópoli. Antonio Palacios, 1874-1945, was published in Arquitectura Viva 262 (2024).