André Ricard. Design in use

From 6 February to 19 April 2026, the Fernán Gómez Cultural Centre will be hosting an exhibition exploring the designs of artist André Ricard as part of the Madrid Design Festival 2026. The designs are associated with the everyday and the invisible: with things that naturally integrate into our daily lives. His work is not presented in chronological order, but through the spaces where his pieces make sense: the table, the bathroom, the kitchen, the studio, celebration and memory.

Inspired by Le design au quotidien (Bulle, Switzerland, 1995) and curated by André Ricard himself, the exhibition brings together a selection of everyday objects arranged according to their area of use. The designs are presented in context, rather than in display cases, to reveal the essence of each piece and highlight the timelessness of objects that continue to be part of everyday life.

The exhibition presents the life and work of Ricard in an accessible way thanks to the collaboration of collector Alejandro Mena and the archive of the Museu del Disseny – Disseny Hub Barcelona.

Each area is accompanied by a text to explain the historical moment based on the milestones that marked André Ricard's career: his apprenticeships in the Vall d'Aran, his discovery of industrial design, his first commissions for Perfumes Puig, international congresses, his written work and his role in the 1992 Olympic Games.

In the entrance to the centre, you will find the Tecla coat rack (1978), the Orion dust clamp (1988), the water pitcher (2020) and the Futura street lamp (1981). They all show that the strength of their designs lies in simplicity and precision: objects endure when their essential idea remains in use.