Antoni Gaudí

Brief Bio Official name: Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí I Cornet Born: June 25, 1852 outside of Barcelona, Spain Best known for: his part in the Catalan Modernist movement and his architecture which was free-flowing and inspired by nature Extremely religious and a known introvert, Gaudí never married Died: June 10, 1926 in Barcelona, Spain – died after being struck by a city trolley car. He is buried at la Sagrada Familia (his most famous work).

Early Life His father was a coppersmith Gaudí took to architecture at an early age and went to study it in Barcelona in 1870. He graduated from the Provincial School of Architecture in 1878. He created his own style by using geometric shapes and animating surfaces with patterned brick, stone, ceramic tiles, and glass. Much of his work is inspired by nature and features flowers and reptiles. Gaudí exhibited his work at both the 1878 and 1888 World’s Fair in Paris

Famous Works Many of Gaudí’s works were commissioned by wealthy industrialist Eusebi Güell I Bacigualupi, who also became a lifelong friend In 1883, Gaudí was tasked with the construction of the Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia (aka la Sagrada Familia) which was to be Barcelona’s largest cathedral. Gaudí completely changed the design, making it his own, after construction began. La Sagrada Familia is Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece and he devoted all of his time to its creation after 1910. Sadly, Gaudí knew he would not live to see its completion and the cathedral remains unfinished to this day. La Sagrada Familia has a target due date of 2026 to mark the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death.

Güell Palace

Güell Estate

Parque Güell

The Episcopal Palace (1887-1893)

Casa de los Botines (1892-1894)

Casa Calvet (1898-1904)

Casa Batlló (1904-1906) & Casa Milà (1905-1910) *apartment buildings*

La Sagrada Familia(1883-2026)