{"id":9464,"date":"2026-06-08T09:59:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=9464"},"modified":"2026-06-12T15:20:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T15:20:45","slug":"gaudi-centenary-celebrates-the-legacy-of-an-architect-like-no-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/gaudi-centenary-celebrates-the-legacy-of-an-architect-like-no-other\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaud\u00ed Centenary celebrates the legacy of an architect like no other"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gaud\u00ed<\/div>\n

To kick off our Gaud\u00ed Centenary<\/a> series marking 100 years since the death of Catalonia’s most famous architect, we take a look at his life and work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instantly recognisable by his mononym,<\/strong> Antoni Gaud\u00ed<\/a> is an architect whose presence and almost legendary aura extend far beyond those interested in architecture.<\/p>\n

The incomparable, unique forms of his buildings, the seemingly never-ending construction of the Sagrada Familia<\/a>, his deep association with Barcelona<\/a>‘s identity and his untimely death 100 years ago all add to the fascination.<\/p>\n

\"Antoni
Antoni Gaud\u00ed is one of the world’s best-known architects. Photo by Pau Audouard Deglaire<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Born in 1852, Gaud\u00ed was raised in Reus in Catalonia, the region his architecture would come to define, and in which he had great pride.<\/p>\n

At 16, Gaud\u00ed moved to Barcelona \u2013 the city where he would leave his lasting mark \u2013 to study teaching. He later turned his attention to architecture, studying first at the Llotja School and later at the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture, graduating in 1878. At the time, his professor gave a hint at the enigmatic nature of the architect’s future work.<\/p>\n

“We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius,” said Barcelona Architecture School director Elies Rogent. “Time will show.”<\/p>\n

\"Sagrada
Antoni Gaud\u00ed’s Sagrada Familia is set to complete this year. Photo courtesy of Sagrada Familia foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Soon after graduating, Gaud\u00ed began designing in earnest, first with a set of lampposts for the Pla\u00e7a Reial and the Pla de Palau in Barcelona. Despite his architecture defining the city, this was one of only two commissions he was ever given by the city council.<\/p>\n

Gaud\u00ed’s first major work, Casa Vicens, was commissioned later that year. But around the same time, it was a far more unassuming project that would change the course of his career \u2013 and Barcelona’s history.<\/p>\n

\"Antoni
A cabinet for glove retailer Esteban Comella would launch Gaud\u00ed’s career<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Glove retailer Esteban Comella tasked Gaud\u00ed with designing a cabinet to display its products within the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris Universal Exposition. The cabinet attracted the attention of Spanish industrialist Eusebi G\u00fcell, who would go on to be the principal driving force behind Gaud\u00ed’s eventual success.<\/p>\n

Five of Gaud\u00ed\u2019s buildings bear the industrialist’s name \u2013 Palau G\u00fcell, Col\u00f2nia G\u00fcell, Park G\u00fcell, Bodegas G\u00fcell and Pabellones G\u00fcell de Pedrables. Many others were commissions from G\u00fcell’s wider family and business circle.<\/p>\n

\"Park
Many of Gaud\u00ed’s buildings, including Park G\u00fcell, are named after Eusebi G\u00fcell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The early commissions gave G\u00fcell the cultural clout of a unique and new architecture, while having an extremely wealthy and supportive benefactor afforded Gaud\u00ed the rare freedom to experiment and push his ideals.<\/p>\n

Not that his association with G\u00fcell has been entirely positive for the great Catalan architect’s legacy, in retrospect. Most of G\u00fcell’s wealth came from slavery, which people in Spain continued to profit from long after it had been officially abolished in 1820. The connection has prompted the Guardian’s Rowan Moore to ask:\u00a0“Is Gaud\u00ed\u2019s slave trade-funded park a blot on Barcelona’s landscape?<\/a>“<\/p>\n