Niklas Maak in conversation with Laura Martínez de Guereñu

The pursuit of beauty in architecture and the creation of masterpieces have historically been associated with the solitary work of the great individual genius. However, new interpretations of authorship have brought to light the creative reality of teamwork and challenged some of the most deeply entrenched narratives of modern architecture.

Laura Martínez de Guereñu, architect, lecturer at IE University and author of Lilly Reich in Barcelona, will discuss, in conversation with Niklas Maak, architect, writer and art and architecture editor at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the context and process through which Lilly Reich and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created the legendary Barcelona Pavilion in 1929, known as the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion since its reconstruction in 1986. The conversation will address the reasons why Lilly Reich’s creative contribution was sidelined for decades and will question whether it is legitimate to suggest that today the work could be called the Mies van der Rohe / Lilly Reich Pavilion.

The book Lilly Reich in Barcelona: The Materialization of a Neglected Authorship (Finalist for the 2026 FAD Thought and Criticism Award) analyses this historiographical oversight and shows how the rediscovery of Lilly Reich has transformed our understanding of architectural masterpieces, creative collaboration and the very nature of authorship.

At the end of the event, the authors will sign copies of his books

Event in English