BARCELONA.- The Francisco Godia Foundation was inaugurated today with the presence of Infanta Cristina. The holdings of the foundation are now housed in the antigua casa Garriga Nogués, a modern building located at Diputación 250 where 296 works of art that comprise the collection can be seen.

Created in 1999 as a reference of private collecting in Barcelona, the Francisco Godia Foundation holds a Collection of 1,500 works of art, half of them are ceramics, which go from Medieval Art from the XII Century to the XX1. The collection, spread out around 2,600 square meters can be seen starting this Saturday.

The Francisco Godia Foundation brings together one of the most important private art collections in Spain. It was assembled by Francisco Godia Sales (Barcelona 1921 - 1990) throughout his iife. Godia was a unique personality who combined his flair for business with a love of art and a passion for car racing. The permanent exhibition specialises in medieval art, ceramics and modern painting. One of the aims of the Foundation is to raise awareness of the work of private collectors, and this is why it organises exhibitions showcasing other collections from Spain and abroad.

Francisco Godia Sales, better known as Paco Godia, was a racing driver. He drove intermittently in Formula One between 1951 and 1958, participating in 14 World Championship Grands Prix and numerous non-Championship races.

Of all the pieces, it is particularly worth mentioning the Romanesque sculptural carvings, the pottery collection and the singular paintings, including works by the Catalan artist Ramón Casas and by the Italian Lucio Fontana, among others.