Antoni Gaudí I Cornet

Antoni Gaudí was a Spanish architect whose work is considered an exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and construction technology. He started his architecture studies in 1868, when he moved to Barcelona when he was sixteen, there he would develop his career at the School of Architecture of Barcelona, ​​and although he was not an outstanding student, he succeeded in graduating in 1878, after successfully negotiating several setbacks. economic and family nature.

Parallel to his studies, he worked as a draftsman in various projects in the city that were carried out, such as: the terrace for outdoor concerts of the municipal band and the perimeter fence of El Parque, of more than one kilometer and with seven doors, and although the number of works that carried out were not numerous, seven of them have been considered by UNESCO, as patrimonies of humanity, including his masterpiece the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family.

At the age of 73, in the prime of his career, he was the victim of misfortune and passed away trampled by a tram, being buried in the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in the Crypt of the Holy Family, with massive assistance.

His 10 most famous works

1. Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Familia-1883 / Not Completed-Barcelona, ​​Spain

Recognized by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites in 2005, it is considered the artist’s greatest work and although it was not completed, it is an iconic monument of the city of Barcelona characterized by its high conical towers. It is one of the most visited monuments in Spain and even in Europe. Gaudí dedicated himself to her exclusively for the last 15 years of his life and succeeded, splendidly, in harmonizing a series of elements.

2. El Capricho-1883/1885-Comillas, Spain

Commissioned by Máximo Díaz de Quijano as a chalet in Comillas, “El Capricho”, whose real name is Villa Quijano, ended up being an U-shaped architecture located near the Sobrellano palace, the construction, adapted to the unevenness of the land, allows it Sheltering from the strong winds of the North and the hole that became its shape, it ended up being a large greenhouse to acclimatize exotic plants. Together with “La Casa Vicens”, they represent the works that would define the wonderful legacy of Gaudí.

3. Casa Vicens-1883/1888-Barcelona, ​​Spain

Declared a monument of cultural interest in 1969 and a World Heritage Site in 2005 by UNESCO, this modern building was built as a summer house for the family of Manuel Vicens i Montaner, it is located in the Gracia neighborhood and became the first project of the architect in Barcelona, ​​becoming a milestone of architecture in Catalonia, it clearly shows oriental influences that defined the work of the artist during a period.

4. Palacio Güell-1886/1890-Barcelona, ​​Spain

Eusebi Güell entrusted Gaudí with the construction of his residence in the center of Barcelona, ​​a solemn and luxurious building in his interior, in which the artist used marbles, wood and wrought iron, among other materials to create a very modern Catalan architecture iwhere oriental elements of good taste are also evident. The building is another of the structures declared as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984 and historical-artistic monument by the Spanish State in 1969.

5. The Casa Milà-1906/1912-Barcelona, ​​Spain

Casa Milà, also called La Pedrera, is a unique work that Gaudí built on Paseo de Gràcia as the residence of the couple Pere Milà and Roser Segimon. The modern building boasts an inspired structural naturalism achieved thanks to its geometric generating technique. It was included in the Artistic Heritage Catalog of the City of Barcelona in 1962 and as a World Heritage Site in 1984 by UNESCO. Since 2013 it is owned by the Catalunya-La Pedrera Foundation.

6. Crypt of Colonia Güell-1908/1915-Colonia Güell (Santa Coloma de Cervelló), Spain

In 1898, Eusebi Güell commissioned the architect Antoni Gaudí to design a church for Colonia Güell. During the following years, the artist made different previous studies that culminated in a model of the church, the work began in 1908 and ceased in 1914 when the children of Güell stopped financing it, so that it only managed to be completed in a masterly and sublime way. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2005.

7. Casa Batlló-1904/1906-Barcelona, ​​Spain

After Josep Batlló i Casanovas acquired the original building that was on this site, in 1904 he hired Gaudí to renovate the house. The architect completely transformed the façade, enlarging the patio of lights and making its interior an authentic work of art. Since the 90s the building is owned by the Bernat family, who has completely restored the house and opened it to society. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.

8. Park Güell-1900/1914-Barcelona, ​​Spain

Park Güell was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1984. Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudí to plan an urbanization for wealthy families in a large estate he had acquired in the area known as “La Montaña Pelada”. Güell died at his home in Parque Güell in 1918, his heirs offered the park to the City Council, agreeing to purchase it in the municipal plenary held in 1922. By the year 1926, it was opened as a municipal park.

9. Episcopal Palace of Astorga-1889/1915-Astorga, Spain

Bishop Grau instructed Gaudí to carry out the work of rebuilding the Episcopal Palace of the Asturian Diocese. Although Gaudí did not finish the project because of differences with the diocese, his initial design was respected so that he retained the nuances of a unique and personal Gothic that the artist added. In 1962 it was converted into a museum dedicated to the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, it was one of the few orders that the architect would make outside Catalonia.

10. Cooperativa Obrera Mataronense-1878/1882-Mataró, Spain

A space that is not ambitious but structurally created to gain space and light, that is why it would use its principle of solar light management that characterizes all its works. He is considered one of the first of the famous artist in which he would achieve a construction paired with the socialist sentiment that subjugated him in his adolescence. It was rebuilt by the town hall turning it into the Museum of Contemporary Art of Mataró in Nau Gaudí, the name it now holds.