Tomás Bilbao Hospitalet

Tomás Bilbao Hospitalet (1890–1954) was a Basque-origin Spanish architect and politician. He was among the founders of Basque Nationalist Action. After serving as a minister of justice he exiled first to France and then, to Mexico.

Tomás Bilbao Hospitalet
Minister of Justice
In office
1937–1938
Personal details
Born18 September 1890
Bilbao
Died16 March 1954(1954-03-16) (aged 63)
New Mexico
NationalitySpanish
SpouseJulia Durán
Children7
Alma materMadrid School of Architecture

Early life and education

Erripa Kalea, a building designed by Tomás Bilbao in Bilbao

Bilbao was born in Bilbao on 18 September 1890 and his father was a building contractor.[1] He received a degree in architecture in 1918 from the School of Architecture of Madrid.[2]

Career

After working as an architecture Bilbao designed Altos Hornos de Vizcaya in 1929.[2] Like other architects of his generation he was influenced from German expressionism and the architectural approach led by Erich Mendelsohn.[3] Bilbao involved in politics and became a cofounder of the Basque Nationalist Action party in 1930 and the president of the Bilbao Municipal Housing Board in 1931.[1] He was also councillor and deputy mayor of the Bilbao City Council during the Second Republic.[1] In the period 1937–1938 he was minister of justice.[1]

Exile, personal life and death

Bilbao first exiled to France.[2] Then he settled in Mexico in May 1942 when France was invaded by Nazi forces.[2] There he worked for the Compañía Mexicana de Comercio Exterior.[2]

Bilbao was married to Julia Durán with whom he had seven children.[2] Their oldest son was arrested and executed following the exile of his father.[1][4] Tomás Bilbao died in Mexico City on 16 March 1954.[2]

One of his grandchildren, Tatiana Bilbao, is a well-known architecture in Mexico.[2]

References

  1. "Tomás Bilbao Hospitalet" (in Spanish). Real Academia de la Historia. 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. Juan Ignacio del Cueto Ruiz-Funes. "Contributions of the Basque Exile to Mexican Architecture". Mas Context. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  3. Lucía C. Pérez-Moreno; Elena Martínez-Litago (2017). "Bilbao and the Magazine Nueva Forma". MAS Context (30–31): 30–31.
  4. "Bilbao Hospitalet, Tomás". Eusko Ikaskuntza. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
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