In a year marked with conflict over sovereignty and over-tourism, and a drop in tourism numbers, Barcelona’s just gotten a welcome piece of good news: the first house ever designed by Antoni Gaudi will open to public view this month.
The house, Casa Vicens, in the Gracia neighborhood, was a private residence until 2007. Manuel Vicens i Montaner, the original owner, was persuaded to give the newly-minted architect by the head of Barcelona’s Architecture School, who said, at Gaudi’s graduation, “We have given this degree to either a fool or a genius. Time will tell.”
A recent article in The Guardian (UK) describes it: “Like much of the architect’s work, it is a glorious gallimaufry of styles, combining Japanese, Moorish-revival and original elements into an improbable success. Gullies of colourful bricks dribble from the eaves like a Lego model of a half-iced cake; viciously spiked wrought-iron gates are framed by green tiles in a marigolds design; leaf patterns on interior walls could be reflections of the garden or an allegory of the journey of Christ. Nothing is as it seems.”
The house’s journey from home to museum began in 2014, when it was acquired by an Andorran bank, MoraBanc. The renovation involved restoration of exterior and interior; the interior parts of a 1924 extension were painted all white to separate them from Gaudi’s work. For visiting information, to to https://casavicens.org.
Interior view, 1888, above. Title image: Jorapa/Flickr
