Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (25 June 1852–10 June 1926) is a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism.
Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.
Much of Gaudí's work is marked by his big passions in life: architecture, nature, religion.
Gaudí studies every detail of his creations, integrating into his architecture a series of crafts in which he is skilled: ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry.
He introduces new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís, made of waste ceramic pieces.
After a few years under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí becomes part of the Catalan Modernista movement which is reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
His work transcends mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by nature.
Gaudí rarely draws detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and molding the details as he was conceiving them.
Gaudí’s work enjoys widespread international appeal and many studies are devoted to understanding his architecture.
Today, his work finds admirers among architects and the general public alike.
His masterpiece, the still-uncompleted Sagrada Família, is one of the most visited monuments in Spain.
Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works are declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Gaudí’s Roman Catholic faith intensifies during his life and religious images permeate his work.
This earns him the nickname "God's Architect" and leads to calls for his beatification.
