If you are asked to name an architect from Barcelona, you will undoubtedly think of Antoni Gaudi. Probably less known internationally, Lluís Domènech i Montaner is a Catalan architect known for his numerous modernist buildings in the city.
In this article we will introduce you to his different works that you probably don’t even know are his.
Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau – Arts i Cultura
The Hospital de Santa Creu is one of the most beautiful examples of civil and Catalan Gothic architecture.
A former gothic monastery built in 1401 and then rehabilitated as a hospital between 1905 and 1930 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
Today it is a museum that allows you to travel through the history of Barcelona’s medicine and the history of one of the oldest health institutions in Europe. You can also walk through the tunnels that connect the different buildings underground and visit the most representative heritage spaces of the Administration Pavilion.
Palau de la Música Catalana – Consell Any Turisme Cultural
It took less than 3 years, from 1905 to 1908, for Barcelona to build one of its most impressive buildings: the Palau de la Música Catalana.
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Palau de la Música is an artistic monument and a musical stage of international prestige.
Its construction, driven by a popular choral society, was entrusted to Domènech i Montaner. Together with a group of collaborators, including the famous Eusebio Arnau, Lluís Bru and Miquel Bla, he designed an innovative metal structure in a modernist style that allowed the use of materials such as stained glass walls, giving the building a greenhouse style. He innovates with the use of curtain walls and uses a wide variety of artistic techniques such as sculpture, mosaics, stained glass and ironwork.
Casa Fuster – Premium
Considered one of the most expensive buildings in the city, Casa Foster was built between 1908 and 1911 in collaboration with his father. Adopting a certain neo-gothic and modernist air, the beauty of the building comes from the use of expensive noble materials, such as white marble, glass or slate.
Domènech i Montaner’s work can be seen in the characteristic columns with a pinkish base, the three-lobed windows, the classic modernist floral decoration and the combination of curves and straight lines.
Classified in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and now transformed into a luxury hotel, the Casa Fuster has the good fortune to have Woody Allen as a regular guest, who chose the hotel in 2007 to direct some scenes from his award-winning film “Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona”.
Casa Navàs – Ciutat i Vila ami Caràcter
Built between 1901 and 1907, one of the most outstanding features of Casa Navàs is its magnificent interior decoration, which has remained practically intact thanks to the care of its owners: the ceramics, mosaics, graffiti, stonework and stained glass windows are excellent examples of the decorative arts of Modernism.
Fundació Tàpies – Consell Any Turisme Cultural
The main objective was to promote the study and knowledge of modern and contemporary art, for these reasons was founded in 1984 the Antoni Tapies Foundation, which today is a museum and cultural center mainly dedicated to the life and work of the Catalan painter Antoni Tàpies.
Built between 1881 and 1885 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, its facade was the first in the Eixample to combine bare brick with wrought iron, following an Arabic architectural influence.
Today the Foundation has one of the most complete collections of Tàpies’ artworks, and also presents a wide range of exhibitions of other contemporary artists.
Now you will be able to talk about Barcelona’s architects without the discussion necessarily being about Antoni Gaudí!