Gaudi in Context

• PHOTOS

During this three hour tour through the heart of Barcelona, we’ll introduce the fantastic architecture of Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona’s most important architect, and situate his work within the context of Catalan society at the time. Besides visiting some of Gaudí’s most important works, we’ll look broadly at how Barcelona expanded in the late 19th and early 20th century and became a breeding ground for the modernist movement and, eventually, such luminaries as Miro and Picasso.

We’ll begin by looking at the history of Barcelona and the growth of the city, introducing the urban planner Ildefons Cerda whose “enlargement” (eixample in Catalan) in 1859 laid out the modern city, much as Baron von Haussman did for Paris some years later. With this architectural context as a backdrop, we’ll make our way through the heart of the city to see two of Gaudi's masterpieces: the Casa Batllo on the Manzana de la Discordia, and Casa Milá. We will spend concerted time inside of Casa Mila and on its famous

During this three hour tour through the heart of Barcelona, we’ll introduce the fantastic architecture of Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona’s most important architect, and situate his work within the context of Catalan society at the time. Besides visiting some of Gaudí’s most important works, we’ll look broadly at how Barcelona expanded in the late 19th and early 20th century and became a breeding ground for the modernist movement and, eventually, such luminaries as Miro and Picasso.

We’ll begin by looking at the history of Barcelona and the growth of the city, introducing the urban planner Ildefons Cerda whose “enlargement” (eixample in Catalan) in 1859 laid out the modern city, much as Baron von Haussman did for Paris some years later. With this architectural context as a backdrop, we’ll make our way through the heart of the city to see two of Gaudi's masterpieces: the Casa Batllo on the Manzana de la Discordia, and Casa Milá. We will spend concerted time inside of Casa Mila and on its famous roof, picking our way through the thorough Gaudi museum inside.

During the course of this walk we’ll also look at the works of some of Gaudí’s followers and rivals, including buildings by Puig i Cadafalch. Although few of these artists are known outside of Barcelona, their work had a significant influence on Gaudi and represent the artistic context he was working within.

As we move through the physical city, through history, and through the aesthetic evolution of Barcelona we’ll look at how Gaudi's buildings fight against the modern grid and try to neutralize it in a fantastical way that borders on the absurd. We’ll learn to see his work in a new light and contextualize it within the history of the city.

It is also possible to include a visit to Parc Guell on this walk when booked privately, which extends the duration to five hours. Parc Guell affords great views over the city and is a major work by Gaudí in its own right. Alternatively, Gaudi's masterwork, La Sagrada Familia, is covered in its own, separate two-hour walk, La Sagrada Familia Seminar, which can be booked in concert with this, more comprehensive introduction to Gaudi. When together, we normally schedule this walk in the morning, and the two-hour visit to La Sagrada Familia in the afternoon.