Peter Harnden (London 1913 – Cadaqués 1971) and Lanfranco Bombelli (Milan 1921 – Cadaqués 2008) are two architects whose work is of the highest international quality, and we are lucky that nine of their houses are located in the same town: Cadaqués. This route invites you to discover these residences while enjoying the Empordà municipality and its unique landscape.
The professional careers of these two architects are unusual, as they went from being among the first global architects —in the late 1950s— to producing ultra-local work.
In their early days, they worked mainly for the US government, in the context of the Cold War, with the aim of spreading American culture and industry throughout the world. They built pavilions and organised exhibitions from Osaka (Japan) to Montreal (Canada), passing through the main capitals of Europe and North Africa.
In 1956, on their way back from a trip to Madrid, and following the advice of their friend Coderch, they stopped in Cadaqués and were enchanted by the Empordà town. This would lead to a change in their professional and personal lives.
In the late 1950s, this small village on the Catalan coast was almost uninhabited, with many of its buildings half abandoned. The geographical isolation of the town meant that the tourism boom was slow to arrive, but the authenticity of Cadaqués, the uniqueness of Cap de Creus and its special light attracted many leading artists, both national and international. Cadaqués is best known as the residence of Salvador Dalí, and it is also where Marcel Duchamp spent his summer vacations from 1958 until his death in 1968. These artists were joined by other international figures such as Man Ray, Hamilton, Roth, Cage, Cunningham, Matta and Tinguely, as well as Catalan artists such as Ràfols Casamada, Tharrats, and Corberó, among others. At that time, Cadaqués became a leading international cultural centre.
Harnden and Bombelli found here a small cultural oasis where they built nine houses, following the criteria of modern architecture, perfectly integrated into the austere and vernacular architecture of the place, which constitute nine lessons in architecture. At that sweet moment in the history of Cadaqués, the architects Coderch and Valls, Correa and Milá, Barba Corsini and Terradas i Via also built houses.
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