Casa Vicens: Gaudi’s first masterpiece!

Casa Vicens is the first masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí. You can see the freedom of styles, the fantasy and the use of different influences, it is an imaginative, modern and innovative project.

Shortly after finishing his architecture studies, the young Antoni Gaudí received the order from Mr. Manuel Vicens to build a summer house for him and his wife in the land he had inherited in a small street of Sant Gervasi (the current street of the Carolinas), which is now considered a part of Vila de Gracia. The works began in 1883 and continued for 5 years until 1888. Gaudí created a house of small dimensions, structured on four levels: basement, ground floor and two floors above. Inside, the young architect leaves samples of his talent, especially in the noble spaces and in the exotic smoking lounge. It is an innovative and original work that breaks stylistically with all that had been built before in Catalonia. The Casa Vicens is one of the first examples of the aesthetic renovation of art and architecture that took place throughout Europe at the end of the 19th century. It is the starting point of Gaudí’s artistic career and is considered one of the first masterpieces of modernism.

Nature is the most important source of inspiration for all of Gaudi’s work, and Casa Vicens is one of the first examples, since we see how different natural elements are represented and integrated throughout the whole building. For the first time, Casa Vicens opened its doors to visitors. After 130 years as a private house, Casa Vicens now is a museum and offers a permanent exhibition and a tour of the original rooms of Gaudí, carefully preserved and restored today. Go check it out, it is absolutely stunning!

Web: https://casavicens.org/
Location: Carrer de les Carolines, 20-26