Antoni Gaudi 1852-1926

Welcome to an Online exhibition in honour of influential Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Unless you have traveled to Barcelona or you have an keen interest in Architecture and/or Art you may not have a clue who Antoni Gaudi is. But i can almost be certain that you may recognize at least one of his works.

Antoni Gaudi (sometimes referred to as Antonio in English) was born on the 25th of June, 1852. Where he was born is not completely certain, although most think it is the city of Reus, west of Barcelona. Antoni was the youngest of five and early on was influenced by his coppersmith parents to create and design whereas his four other siblings pursued non-artistic careers.

After studying architecture in Barcelona, (Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura 1873-1877) he made it his main base. As you will read later, his major works are still thriving as tourist attractions in the popular city. What is surprising is that he did not excel at University and fellow students, family and University staff were surprised he even received his degree. The director of the University, Elies Rogent commented at the time of his graduation:

"Who knows if we have given this diploma to a nut or to a genius. Time will tell." (Taken from Wikipedia entry on Gaudi)

Although Gaudi shaped his own unique style of architecture, it could be closely compared to Gothic architecture. His non conformation to straight lines was inspired by nature, in particular the ocean. Although he was always a devout Catholic, towards the end of his life he became very religious and as you will see this was heavily reflected in his last few projects.

On the 7th of June, 1926 Antoni Gaudi died. Tragically it was not because of old age or illness, he was run over by a Tram at a major intersection in Barcelona city. Because he was never a man that took notice of how he dressed or his personal appearance, he was presumed to be a homeless person. Over the following weeks and several decades, Gaudi was mourned and applauded for his work and contribution to Barcelona.

Antonio Gaudi picture taken from GaudiDesigner. School of Architecture, Barcelona picture taken from School of Architecture, Barcelona page.