Antoni Gaudí (Spanish, 1852–1926) was an architect and designer, and one of the leading figures of Catalan Modernism. Early on, Gaudí showed an interest in design, graduating from the Provincial School of Architecture in 1878. Soon after completing his studies, he began developing his own style, which was marked by a juxtaposition of geometric shapes, animated surfaces of patterned brick or stone, bright ceramic tiles, and floral or reptilian metalwork. Many of the artist’s most renowned works, including Güell Park and the Sagrada Família, are located in Barcelona, where he lived and worked for most of his life.

In the latter half of his career, Gaudí created a type of structure known as equilibriated, which allowed buildings to stand on their own without internal supports. Gaudí used his equilibrated system to build two famous Barcelona apartment buildings: the Casa Batlló (1904–1906) and the Casa Milà (1905–1910), whose floors resemble overlapping lily pads.

Gaudí died after he was struck by a trolley car as he was standing in the street admiring his work on the Sagrada Família, which remains under construction to this day. The structure has a projected completion date of 2026 to mark the artist’s 100th birthday.