Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (College of Catalan Architects)

You are standing before one of Barcelona's most extraordinary architectural treasures, the Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya, home to Catalonia's prestigious association of architects. What makes this building truly exceptional is not just its institutional importance, but the remarkable fact that you are looking at one of only two buildings in the entire world that bears artwork directly designed by Pablo Picasso himself. Look up at the facade before you and take in the striking concrete frieze that wraps around the building's exterior. These bold, linear figures dancing across the walls represent Picasso's interpretation of Catalan traditions and Mediterranean culture. Created in 1960, when Picasso was already a global icon, this monumental work was born from his deep connection to Catalonia despite living in exile in France. The artist collaborated closely with Norwegian sculptor Carl Nesjar, who translated Picasso's drawings into this concrete medium using a sandblasting technique that creates the frieze's distinctive texture and depth. The building itself, completed in 1962, was designed by Xavier Busquets as a modernist structure that would serve as the professional home for Catalonia's architects.