Josep Torres Clavé

Josep Torres Clave was a Spanish designer and architect, born in Barcelona in 1906. He graduated from the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1929 and then went on to study under Jaume Torres Grau and later carried out projects in collaboration with Josep Lluís Sert, with whom he became a partner in 1930.

After completing his studies, Clave founded the GATCPAC (Group of Catalan Architects and Technicians for the Progress of Architecture), this group of professionals, immersed in the European rationalist school of thought, joined forces to denounce and combat cultural decadence in design and architecture. They proposed a new professional ethic entailing greater social commitment. The group was dissolved when the Spanish Civil War broke out.

Clave's design career began by creating furniture pieces for his family and his use, allowing him to test out ideas. His approach to design is very human and he was an avant-garde figure in the Spanish design movement, the designs of Josep Torres Clave are described as striking yet minimalistic. His architectural projects include some of the most emblematic buildings of Catalan rationalism such as the Central Anti-Tuberculosis Dispensary and the Casa Bloc, both in Barcelona.