Barcelona's Other Architectural Genius: Domènech i Montaner
Beyond Antoni Gaudí’s famous landmarks lies another side to Catalan Modernisme—one built on breathtaking light, revolutionary social design, and nature carved into stone and glass. In this second chapter, we explore the extraordinary vision of architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, discovering three masterworks that show what happens when art and architecture become one.
From the glowing stained glass dome of Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana to the groundbreaking healing spaces of Institut Pere Mata and the preserved private beauty of Casa Navàs in Reus, journey into the masterpieces that reshaped Catalan identity.
Time Period:
20th century
Themes:
Professor Paul Greenhalgh is a specialist on the art and design of the Modern period. He has written widely on Art Nouveau and curated several exhibitions including the major survey Art Nouveau 1890-1914, which toured internationally (2000-01). His books include Ephemeral Vistas (1988), Modernism in Design (1990), Art Nouveau 1890–1914 (2000), The Modern Ideal (2005), Fair World (2011), L’Art Nouveau: La Revolution Decorative (2013), Ceramic Art and Civilisation (2021) and Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of Youth (2022). He has held positions as Head of Research at the V&A Museum, London; President and Director at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Director of the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich; and Inaugural Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, London. He was born and raised in Bolton, and is a proud Lancastrian.
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We tend to think of Barcelona as the city of Antoni Gaudí, but Catalan Modernisme was never the work of just one genius. Long before Gaudí defined the city’s skyline, another visionary was shaping its architectural language: Lluís Domènech i Montaner.
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