Lluis Domènech i Montaner

Although destined to be overshadowed by the monumental genius of Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1849–1923) left Barcelona some of its greatest masterpieces.

Born in Barcelona, he was a well-travelled Renaissance man who adored Shakespeare. Like other Modernista architects, he was a keen student of Gottfried Semper, and he interpreted Semper's idea that 'originality is a return to origins' as a return to the sturdy virtues of Catalan brick and iron, combining traditional craftsmanship with new technologies. In 1877, he wrote En Busca d’una Arquitectura Nacional ('In Search of a National Architecture'), an article which became the Modernista manifesto.

Three years later, Domènech's publisher brother gave him a chance to show what he meant: the result was the attractive, brick proto-Modernista Editorial Montaner i Simón. Hired by his old friend Vilaseca (planner of the Parc de la Ciutadella), he made good use of the latest technologies and his talent as a master organizer to save the bacon of the 1888 Universal Exhibition, becoming the city’s darling when he orchestrated the building of a massive hotel in only 59 days.