Exhibition "Josefina Castellví: Breaking the Ice"

As part of Women's Week, the Veterinary Library hosts an exhibition dedicated to Josefina Castellví i Piulachs (Barcelona, 1935–2026), oceanographer and marine biologist who pioneered Spanish scientific presence in Antarctica and became the first woman in the world to lead a permanent scientific base on that continent.

Having graduated in Biology and specialised in marine microbiology at the Sorbonne in Paris, Castellví took part in 1984 in an Argentine oceanographic expedition, becoming the first Spanish woman to set foot on the frozen continent. Between 1989 and 1993 she directed the Spanish Antarctic Base Juan Carlos I on Livingston Island. Throughout her career she published over seventy scientific papers and received honours including the Creu de Sant Jordi (2003) and the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2021).

The exhibition will be available from March 9 to March 20 and it includes an overview of her professional career, the documentary Els records glaçats and a collection of watercolours evoking the polar landscapes and defining moments of her life, these drawings were created by Natália Noemí Fouquet.

Taking advantage of this exhibition, the multipurpose room on floor 0 is being named the Josefina Castellví room.

Drawing of: Natàlia Noemí Fouquet