ANTONI GAUDÍ (Reus or Riudoms, Tarragona, 1852 - Barcelona, 1926). Palmetto leaf from the grille of Casa Vicens, ca.1900. Design: Antoni Gaudí.

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19th & 20th Century Fine Art

By Setdart Auction House

Dec 14, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-12-14 08:00:00 2021-12-14 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : 19th & 20th Century Fine Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/19th-20th-century-fine-art-7992
Gaudi, Sorolla, Torres Garcia, Maclet, TSUGUHARU FOUJITA, Benjamin Palencia Setdart Auction House sofia@setdart.com

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• Lot Description
  ANTONI GAUDÍ (Reus or Riudoms, Tarragona, 1852 - Barcelona, 1926). Palmetto leaf from the grille of Casa Vicens, ca.1900. Design: Antoni Gaudí. Cast iron. Sculptor: Llorenç Matamala. Similar pieces are kept in the MNAC, Barcelona. Measurements: 44 x 49,5 x 10 cm. The cast iron grille at the entrance to Casa Vicens represents the margalló palm leaf that the architect adopted as an ornamental element around the perimeter of the estate. Today, part of this grille can be seen in Park Güell, where this original leaf comes from. This reference to natural elements is not only present in the façade of the house but, through the integration of different decorative arts -forging, painting, ceramics, carpentry, mural decoration, etc.-, Gaudí manages to bring nature into the house, thus creating a relationship between interior and exterior space. Gaudí found in nature the most important source of inspiration for all his work and Casa Vicens is one of the first examples, as we see how different natural elements are represented and integrated throughout the whole. The maximum representative of Catalan modernism and, therefore, of Spanish modernism, Gaudí is one of the most outstanding architects and decorators in European history. Already as a child he liked hiking, the direct contact with nature. Having stood out as a child for his drawings, he studied architecture at the Escuela de la Llotja and the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, where he graduated in 1878. With his first major commission, the Casa Vicens, Gaudí began to acquire renown, and to attract increasingly larger commissions. In 1878 he exhibited at the Universal Exposition in Paris a showcase made for the Comella glove shop. This piece, with its modernist and functional design, impressed the industrialist Eusebi Güell, a key figure in Gaudí's artistic biography. In fact, Güell was, in addition to being Gaudí's great friend, his main patron, and commissioned some of his most outstanding works, such as the Park Güell. In 1883 he accepted the commission to continue the work on the Sagrada Familia; Gaudí totally modified the initial project, and this construction became his masterpiece, on which he worked until the day of his death. This project was followed by other important commissions, such as the episcopal palace of Astorga, the Batlló and Milá houses and the restoration of the cathedral of Palma de Mallorca. In 1910 the first exhibition dedicated to Gaudí was held at the Grand Palais in Paris. After his death, important retrospectives of the architect were held, including the one at the MOMA in New York, his first major international exhibition, which took place in 1957. Since the mid-twentieth century, Gaudí's appreciation has been increasing, culminating with the proclamation of several of his works as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1984 (Park Güell, Palacio Güell and Casa Milá), and 2005 (crypt and apse of the Sagrada Familia, the houses Vicens and Batlló and the crypt of the Colonia Güell). Gaudí's designs for furniture and decorative arts can currently be admired at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the MOMA in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, as well as in his House-Museum in Park Güell.
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