This text examines the contribution of architect Oriol Bohigas in the urban transformation of Barcelona after he joined the City Council in 1980, during Spain’s democratic transition. Rather than evaluating the political or social results of his actions, the study concentrates on a historical analysis of disciplinary debates surrounding the role of architecture in the construction of the city. From there, the text also revisits the influence of European urban traditions to contextualize Bohigas’s civic and cultural approach to urbanism. Ultimately, it argues about his vision of the city as a work of art and its possible limitations.