In 1986, she earned her doctorate in art history from the University of Barcelona. From 1986 to 1994, she served as director of the Museum of Graphic Arts. From 1995 until 2012, Pilar Vélez was the director of the Frederic Marès Museum, a period during which the Museum solidified its position as a leading center for sculpture and collecting. In 2011, the renovation and modernization project, initiated in 1996, was completed, providing the museum with an image and exhibition conditions that align with both current museographic demands and the needs of its heritage.

Pilar Vélez has also been the driving force behind a research and publications initiative for its collections, as well as new interpretations of its holdings through a contemporary lens. Recently, the ACCA awarded one of its 2012 Prizes to the Frederic Marès Museum’s renovation project. Since 1996, she has been a full academician of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi, and since 2007, of the Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona.

Academic Librarian from 1998 to 2014. Director of the Bulletin from 2004 to 2012.