Catalan modernism: it’s not only Barcelona and Gaudí

Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, in Barcelona, has come to epitomize not only the work of Catalonia’s most renowned architect, but also the unique aesthetics of the artistic movement he belonged to: modernism. Yet this distinctly Catalan form of Art Nouveau extended far beyond the boundaries of a single city, and comprised works greater than those attributable to a lone artist.

The person behind Barcelona’s Palau de la Música and the Sant Pau Hospital, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, designed his own house in Canet de Mar, now open for visits. Josep Puig i Cadafalch built the Casa Coll i Regàs in Mataró. It’s in this same seaside town where one can also find Gaudí’s first work as an architect.

All these buildings are included in a new project by Barcelona’s regional authority, aiming to redirect the inflow of modernism enthusiasts from the city to nearby towns.