Josep Lluis Sert (1902-1983)

Name

Sert, Josep Lluis

Variant Names

Sert, José Luis

Personal Information

Birth/Death:    1902-1983
Occupation:    American architect
Location (state):    NY; MA

AIA Affiliation

Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 1953-decease
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) 1965
Recipient of the AIA Gold Medal 1981

Biographical Sources

American Architects Directories:
Biographical listing in 1956 American Architects Directory
Repeat of 1956 biographical listing in 1962 American Architects Directory
Address listed in 1970 American Architects Directory
Biographical Directories:
Entry in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects (New York: Macmillan, 1982)
Entry in Richard Guy Wilson, The AIA Gold Medal (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984)
Biographical information:
Contributed by Special Collections, Frances Loeb Library, Harvard Graduate School of Design: Josep Lluis Sert received a degree in architecture in 1929 from the Escuela Superior de Arquitectura in Barcelona; in the subsequent decade he was among the leading young Spanish architects, active as well in the GATPAC movement and CIAM. He gained an international reputation with his design for the Spanish Pavilion erected at the 1937 Paris Exposition. Sert emigrated to the United States in 1939 and from 1941 to 1958 was a partner in Town Planning Associates, a design firm specializing in both architectural and urban design projects, with a particular focus on Latin America. In 1955, Sert opened his own design firm, Sert, Jackson & Associates, in Cambridge, MA; his work ranged from private residences to museums to large-scale educational and commercial projects.
Sert's academic career began with a year's appointment as a professor of city planning at Yale; in 1953, at the recommendation of Walter Gropius, he was named Dean of the Graduate School of Design, with a complementary appointment as Chairman and Professor of Architecture. During his extraordinarily vibrant and productive tenure as Dean (until his retirement in 1969) Sert oversaw a variety of innovations, including the establishment of the first formal professional degree program in Urban Design.

Related Records

Archival Holdings

The American Institute of Architects Archives
      Membership file may contain membership application, Fellowship nomination, related correspondence. The AIA Awards files contain further information about Gold Medal recipients. Contact the AIA Archives at archives@aia.org for further information.
Special Collections, Frances Loeb Library, Harvard Graduate School of Design
https://guides.library.harvard.edu/gsd/archives
The Josep Lluís Sert Collection
The Sert Collection includes thousands of drawings and plans related to his work as an architect and urban designer, as well as related project files of photographs, slides, and manuscript materials. There are also substantial files of correspondence from Le Corbusier and Joan Miro, as well as texts of lectures, material related to his published works, and to his involvement in a wide range of professional organizations. These materials are supplemented by drawings and paintings (many by Le Corbusier) from Sert's private collection.
Gift of Josep Lluis Sert, 1979-1982
Online finding aid available at nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:GSD.loeb:des00010

Publications