Gaudí and Güell

Gaudí means ‘delight’ in Catalan, and the remarkably innovative architecture of the man who bore that name often lived up to the description. Yet even as late as the 1960s, he was regarded as an eccentric kook; hippies and Surrealists loved him, but rationalist architects and other respectable folk gave him a wide berth.

But you don’t have to be in Barcelona more than 30 seconds to realize that his reputation has not only undergone a sea change, but fuels an industry of its own: you can take several all-Gaudí tours, purchase models of his benches in Park Güell or build your own Casa Batlló from a paper kit. The opera Gaudí, by Joan Guinjoan and Gaudí scholar Josep M. Carandell, premiered at the Liceu in 2000. 2002, the 150th anniversary of his birth, was designated International Gaudí Year, with exhibitions and events organized all over the world. His final project, the Sagrada Família, rockets ever higher, and is on track to be completed in 2026.