Gaudí’s first major creation will be open for visitors, and the Sagrada Família still under construction
Antoni Gaudí's name is on the front pages of the Spanish newspapers again. A cheering news of opening of the museum in the House Vicenç at the end of 2017, which draws the publicity attention not only to its exterior, but also to the interiors and furniture "from Gaudí", is talked about. It also sparked debates about the construction of the Sagrada Familia, which has been under way for more than 130 years. There are not only these masterpieces in our review, but also lesser-known attractions associated with the great modernist.
Casa Vicens - the first masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí
The news caused a great stir, as from the date of construction of the building Casa Vicens was privately owned and one could admire it only from outside. But only the select few have a look at its splendid interiors, also made by the brilliant architect. Everything changed in 2014, when the building was purchased by Amura Capital (a subsidiary of the Andorran bank MoreBanc), that promised to open a museum in the building.
The new owner invested 2.5 million Euros for the house reconstruction, invited the former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona Joan Abella (as they reported, reconstruction will be made with the input from the descendants of its original tenants), and announced the opening of the museum in the House Vicenç. They plan to create a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of the house in the museum holding temporary exhibitions.
Photo: Casa Vicens/Barcelona 2016/Pol Viladoms
The house’s original layout, including the 15 rooms, lavishly decorated by Gaudí, will be preserved
The famous house became the first masterpiece of Spanish modernist
In 1882, thirty-year-old Antoni Gaudí began the construction of a private mansion commissioned by a stockbroker Manuel Vicenç, the summer residence was completed in 1888.
Illustration: the earliest photo of House Vicenç
In fact, the house plan was quite simple, but the architect made so many one-of-a-kind outbuildings and decorative elements that the villa turned into some kind of a Moorish palace from oriental fairy tales. Bay windows, archways and tiny balconies, colorful glazed tiles with floral patterns — one doesn’t know where to look first, are considered to be a marvelous creation of Gaudí!
Gaudí invented and developed the interiors of each of the 15 rooms. Pattern of palm leaves to the fence, as well as tiles decor with orange flowers — marigolds, — is a figment of his imagination. It is curious that these tiles were made at the brick factory of Manuel Vicenç, thus serving as a promotion for the customer’s business and the first owner of the house.
La Sagrada Família
For many decades, the Barcelona City Council raised the issue of the unfinished church of Gaudí, the construction of which lasted more than 130 years. It experienced three unresolved conflicts: a lack of the (contemporary) construction permit, the nonpayment of taxes and impossibility to arrange the area in front of the Glory Façade that Gaudí imagined, which would entail the forced expulsion of up to 3,000 residents and lessees dwelling in this area. Negotiations between the bishopric, the city council and local residents on the matter were suspended.
Photo: www. hotel-r.net
The authorities believe that since 1882 the construction of the church has been conducted without official permission.
The Board of the Sagrada Familia denies this fact, referring to permit request made to the City of Sant Martí de Provençals in 1885, which approved the project of Gaudi’s cathedral construction. For the City Council this document does not constitute a legitimate reason. Despite the fact, that in 1897 Sainte-Marie de Provence was attached to the Catalan capital, the temple documentation was not registered in Barcelona. In addition, the city budget did not receive the appropriate taxes.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Daniel Mòdol, Barcelona Architecture and Urban Landscape
Councilman, announced the creation of a Commission exclusively for the construction of the basilica, which will deal with the reconstruction and made a decision on the licensed construction of the temple together with the Board of the Sagrada Família.
But between the city authorities and the Temple’s Board there are sharp squabbles, which are widely reported in the Spanish press. Last loud statement was made by Daniel Mòdol. He decided that the building was already "having no relation to the idea of Gaudi’s name", that turned into a piece of cake — it resembled "a giant Easter cake", and the construction seemed to be "a farce". Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Barcelona, Luis Martínez Sistach responded to an attack on social networks, writing that he thanked Antoni Gaudí for the Sagrada Família, which is visited by 4 million people a year.
All the XX century the construction of the temple had been hotly debated. Many of the great Spanish architects considered a sacrilege to interfere with the genius idea.
Salvador Dali admired "terrifying and edible beauty" of Sagrada Família, offering to cover the temple with a huge glass dome to keep this amazing structure intact. "Those, who have not tasted his [Gaudí] great creative bad taste, are traitors", said the surrealist. Modern Spanish architect Josep Acebillo also strongly opposed the continuation of the construction: "It's like you fasten your hands to the statue Venus de Milo."
The sculptural decoration of the facade of the Sagrada Família
Expiatory Temple of the Sagrada Família — the full name of the church — is being built from private donations and tour fees. Now the church can accommodate about 2,000 visitors. The Basilica is visited by about 3.7 million tourists annually, which significantly helps to speed up the construction works withthe estimated annual budget of 25 million Euros.
The interior of the Sagrada Família, photo: A & Ces Travels — WordPress.com
The construction of the Sagrada Família is to be finished in 2026. The cathedral will be decorated with eighteen slender towers — the highest of them — the Jesus Christ tower (172.5 meters), the Virgin Mary tower (140 meters) and the four towers dedicated to the Evangelists (each 135 meters). According to the estimates of Jordi Fauli, the head architect of the temple, it will take more than six years to create only the decorative elements. We can already see how the famous Cathedral of Barcelona will look, glancing at the visualization of the project.
Gaudí Exhibition Centre
The museum’s collection represents the permanent exhibition "Walking with Gaudí" - there are original documents, unique collection of pieces by this great architect and surprising models mixed with the innovative look of audio visual installations and holograms. There are also temporary exhibitions in the exhibition halls.
Now you can visit the exhibition dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudí. The exhibition describes the last days of the architect`s life.
At 6p.m. on June 7, 1926, while taking his walk to the church for the evening mass, Gaudí was struck by a passing tram. An elderly man was assumed to be a beggar because of his shabby clothing and was taken to a hospital for the poor. The next day friends came to visit him and offered to take him to an expensive hospital, but Gaudí refused, saying that his place was next to ordinary citizens. He died on June 10 from multiple chest injuries. Gaudí was buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Família.
On that day Barcelona was in deep mourning — all the city gathered to say final goodbyes to the great architect. They told, "Gaudí died like a poor man, but he was buried like a king." His death coincided with the 24th anniversary of the death of the great Spanish poet Jacint Verdaguer, the poet who was called "the architect of letters", while Gaudí was "a poet in stone."
Quest "by Gaudí" in Barcelona
One can explore Gaudí in Barcelona differently. So, the quest room "Lock-Clock" (marketing project from Russia) offers a program "The Secret of Gaudí." At the heart of the detective story are the real events of 1936, when during the Civil War, the anarchists, who at that time actually controlled the city, destroyed almost all the models and drawings of Gaudí. The visitors get to the room, a replica of the great architect`s studio, and they have to find a cache of the drawings, in parallel solving historical mysteries.
Photo: es.qadviser.eu
Based on the materials from theartnewspaper.ru, theartnewspaper.com, archdaily.com, cultura.elpais.com, forbes.ru, gaudiexhibitioncenter.com.
