Casa Vicens - the work of architect Antoni Gaudí, a pioneer of Modernisme - is nestled in the heart of Barcelona's Gracia neighborhood, and stands as his first significant project. Built between 1883 and 1885, the house showcases Gaudí’s ingenuity and sets the stage for an extraordinary career. Once a sprawling estate with a large garden, Casa Vicens now exists as the house and a small surrounding area due to the division of land and construction of residential buildings over time.
Gaudí, who is renowned for his mastery of the orientalist style, designed three facades for the property. The original plan called for an extension, but Gaudí declined the commission, passing it to one of his protégés, Joan Baptista Serra, who continued the work in Gaudí’s original style in 1925. Casa Vicens exemplifies the orientalist style, featuring design elements that evoke the aesthetics of the Near and Far East, as well as elements of Moorish and Hispanic Islamic art.
Casa Vicens was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1969, an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1993, and a World Heritage Site in 2005. For those eager to explore the intricacies of Gaudí’s innovative designs, Casa Vicens offers a window into the anatomy of a masterpiece.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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