Gaud� (i Cornet), Antoni 1852-1926
Spanish architect

Born in Riudoms, Catalonia, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith, then studied architecture at the Escuela Superior de Arquitectura in Barcelona. He became the leading exponent of Catalan Modernism (a branch of the Art Nouveau movement in architecture) inspired by a nationalistic search for a romantic medieval past. Strikingly original and ingenious, he designed a number of highly individualistic and unconventional buildings, such as the Palacio G�ell (1886-89) and Parque G�ell (1900-14) for his chief patron, Don Basilio G�ell; the Casa Batll� (1904-17) and the Casa Mil� (1905-09). His most celebrated work, the ornate church of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, occupied him from 1884 until his death. It is still under construction.

Bibliography: C�sar Martinell, Gaud�: His Life, His Theories, His Work (1975)