Whose Architecture Inspired the World?

Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) created some of the most distinctive and imaginative buildings in architectural history, almost all located in Barcelona, Spain. His masterpiece, the Basilica de la Sagrada Família (begun 1882, still under construction), features towering spires, organic facades dripping with stone foliage, and an interior of branching columns inspired by forest canopies. Gaudí rejected straight lines in favour of curves, hyperbolic paraboloids, and forms found in nature. Seven of his works in Barcelona are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Park Güell, Casa Milà, and Casa Batlló. He was deeply religious and devoted the last 15 years of his life exclusively to the Sagrada Família.