Antoni Gaudí

"Do you want to know where I found my model? An upright tree; it bears its branches and these, in turn, their twigs, and these, in turn, the leaves. And every individual part has been growing harmoniously, magnificently, ever since God the artist created it."
- Antoni Gaudí

Raised during the Industrial Revolution, Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) strove to distinguish and reaffirm the identity of his native Catalonia as Spain and the rest of Europe modernized. Early neo-Gothic designs were the stepping-stone to the mature, original style that came to be synonymous with his name. Incorporating bold colors and odd bits of material into his designs, Gaudí created inspiring, visionary buildings and helped establish Barcelona (most notably with the still-unfinished Sagrada Família cathedral) as a city of the world.