The opening keynote address by professor David Billington of Princeton University, co-author with Maria Garlock of Felix Candela: Engineer, Builder and Structural Artist, will introduce the life and work of the architect. Two thematic panels will explore Candela's legacy within architectural and engineering discourses, and the political contexts within which his career developed. Closing remarks by the exhibitions lead curator, Professor Juan Ignacio del Cueto Ruiz-Funes and a celebratory opening reception in the gallery will end the afternoon. The symposium and reception are free and open to the public.
Avery Library is home to one of three repositories of archival materials related to the life and career of Candela. The Félix Candela Archive comprises materials related to Candela's personal, professional, and academic lives. The collection contains extensive correspondence with personal friends, clients, and professional and academic colleagues. In addition, the collection includes architectural drawings and photographs of his work compiled throughout Candela's professional life, as well as writings by and about Candela.
The symposium is in conjunction with an exhibition entitled Félix Candela, at the Wallach Art Gallery. American audiences, for the first time, will have exposure to a comprehensive look at the architectural career of "the wizard of concrete shells." The exhibition is organized around three periods of Candela's career and highlights his vast body of work, including the Cosmic Rays Pavilion and his self-identified favorites—Los Manantiales Restaurant, Chapel Lomas de Cuernavaca, Bacardí Rum Factory, and the Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Notable in the exhibition is a selection of original architectural drawings and renderings from the Drawings and Archives Collection at Avery.
The exhibition, organized by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), is open to the public from Friday, February 10, through Saturday, March 31, 2012.
The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery aims to contribute to Columbia's long-standing tradition of historical, critical and creative engagement in the visual arts. Since its establishment in 1986, the gallery, modeled on a laboratory, has been a forum for exhibitions related to research by graduate students, faculty and other scholars. The programming provides a bridge between the university's diverse interests and approaches to the arts and a broad public audience.