 ICDAD

Registration is now open for ICOM-DESIGN's annual conference, hosted this year in Barcelona from 11 to 13 November! Register here for the conference, and here for the post-conference (14 November).

The 2026 Annual Meeting of ICOM Design will be held in Barcelona, in a year of particular significance for the city. Designated World Capital of Architecture, Barcelona also commemorates the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, whose work has left an enduring mark on the city’s built environment and cultural identity. Gaudí’s practice provides a particularly compelling starting point for this discussion, challenging the boundaries between architecture, design, craftsmanship, and the decorative arts.

The conference, “Architect Beyond the Building: Design and the Decorative Arts,” will take place at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) and will explore the figure of the architect beyond the traditional role associated with architectural and urban projects. Bringing together leading scholars, curators, and museum professionals, the conference examines architectural practice through the lenses of design, craftsmanship, and the intimate scale. It considers the wide range of creative outputs produced by architects both as part of and beyond building projects, including furniture, ceramics, jewellery, graphic design, exhibition-making and display, as well as interior design and architectural ornamentation. The conference explores these multidisciplinary practices beyond the scale of the building, addressing projects, creative processes, materials, photography, and artistic influences across diverse geographical and cultural contexts around the globe.

The post-conference tour (14 November) is a full of in-depth visits to important design and decorative arts collections and architectural sites throughout the region, including the mid-century icon Casa Gomis, Josep Maria Jujol's Torre de la Creu, and Villa Andrea, built by contemporary leading Catalan architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca.

This symposium is organised by the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in collaboration with ICOM Design (formerly ICOM-ICDAD), International Committee for Decorative Arts and Design with the support of the International Council of Museums, ICOM SPAIN, and Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Barcellona. 

Find full program details (in English, Catalan, and Spanish) below, and join us in November in Barcelona!

English Program

Catalan Program

Spanish Program