This exhibition highlighted the buildings and architectural projects built (and unbuilt) in Baghdad during the reign of King Faisal II (1950s) and the Saddam Hussein regime (1980s), when some of the most influential architects of the era travelled to Iraq’s capital to give conferences and develop their works. Some are considered the latest manifestations of talent by renowned creators, as is the case with Wright and Le Corbusier, while others can be regarded as the final forms of expression, late works expressing their style in late life.

At the same time, the exhibition included several large projects created during the era of Saddam Hussein, all quite significant in the professional careers of Venturi and Bofill. Despite the fact they were never built in the end, they reflect a mixture of styles typical of post-Modernism, in which Eastern and Western features were combined in harmony.

The exhibition, organized by Casa Árabe with the collaboration of the Spanish International Cooperation Agency, the Municipal Government of Barcelona, the Universidad Politécnica de Barcelona and the University of Baghdad, consisted of images of blueprints, perspective drawings, drafts and old photographs of the projects, along with explanatory texts and projections in which one can see interviews of people familiar with the projects, discussing the circumstances in which they were commissioned and produced, and the current situation in Iraq’s capital. It also included models of most of the buildings planned or constructed, as well as a map of the city in which the projects are located and their relationship with the city’s urban fabric is shown. Last of all, a recording made it possible to listen to readings of some of the conferences given by architects like Le Corbusier in Baghdad.

Conceived both for architects and for the general public, who were able to discover some lesser-known works, the purpose of the exhibition was to associate the name of Baghdad, if only for a moment, with an image of prosperity, creativity and regeneration.

The exhibition was open to the public on Mondays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission to the exhibition was free of charge.

Before its arrival in Madrid, the exhibition was on display in Barcelona, where it could be visited from July 10 to September 13 in the exhibition hall of the Official Association of the Architects of Catalonia (COAC) (at Plaza Nova, 5).

In addition, a series of conferences was organized in Barcelona on July 10 and 11, with the participation of Dr. Ghada Siliq, a professor at the University of Baghdad, Mouafak Jalad Ahmed Al-Tai, an architect, Khaled Al-Sultany, an architect and a member of the Royal Architects’ Association of Denmark, and Dr. Souad Ali Mhedi, an architect and professor at the University of Amman (Jordan).