Antoni Gaud Brief Bio Official name Antoni Plcid

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 100 th anniversary of Gaudí’s death.