Granada – Historical building

The Rodríguez-Acosta Foundation, a body attached to the Regional Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage, was created in 1941 by testamentary bequest of the painter José María Rodríguez-Acosta. It has its headquarters in the carmen built by the founder between 1916 and 1930, next to Torres Bermejas and close to the monumental complex of the Alhambra. In addition to its unique building and gardens, it has a building that houses the Gómez-Moreno Museum with works storage, offices and other facilities.

The main building was conceived as a painting studio and is a summary of the European styles of the interwar period. It elegantly reinterprets the styles of the past with the incorporation of multiple stone and wood elements of different origins and ages: Hispano-Muslim columns and capitals, Renaissance doorways and fountains, fragments of Baroque constructions, etc.

Inside, the library occupies a central place. In contrast to the purity of the exteriors, the chromatic and decorative richness of the Art Deco style, enhanced by a serene luxury, is striking. It houses Rodríguez-Acosta’s select bookshop, specialising in art, philosophy, literature and travel, along with the rest of his collections.

The steep slope of the terrain on which it stands gave rise to the terraces and viewpoints that make up its gardens. These gardens, which are very unique in the context of the monumental nature of the Granada cármenes, display a very interesting iconographic programme based on the great themes of symbolism: love, death, ruin, madness, contemplative life, etc.