ANTONI GAUDÃ (Reus or Riudoms, Tarragona, 1852 - Barcelona, 1926). "Nymph". Gilded bust, unique

ANTONI GAUDÃ (Reus or Riudoms, Tarragona, 1852 - Barcelona, 1926).
"Nymph".
Bust in gilded plaster, unique piece, published by Esteva y CÃ a., Barcelona.
Measurements: 41 x 43 x 22 cm .
Gaudà is currently considered to be the best architect in the world of his time. This bust was designed by him and published by the company Esteva i Cia. in spartan plaster. This bust has a different pose and expression to those of other artists of the time, but it must be understood that Gaudà was a visionary with a different mentality to others. No other busts similar to this one are known.
The greatest representative of Catalan modernism and, therefore, of Spanish modernism, Gaudà is one of the most outstanding architects and decorators in European history. Even as a child he loved hiking and direct contact with nature. Having stood out as a child for his drawings, he studied architecture at the Llotja School and at the Barcelona School of Architecture, where he graduated in 1878. With his first major commission, the Casa Vicens, Gaudà began to make a name for himself and to attract increasingly important commissions. In 1878 he exhibited a showcase for the Comella glove shop at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. This piece, which was both modernist in design and functional, impressed the industrialist Eusebi Güell, a key figure in Gaudà 's artistic biography from then on. In fact, Güell was not only Gaudà 's great friend, but also his main patron, and commissioned some of his most outstanding works, such as the Parc Güell. In 1883 he accepted the commission to continue the work on the Sagrada Famà lia; Gaudà completely modified the initial project, and this building became his masterpiece, on which he worked until the day he died. 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 Gaudà was held at the Grand Palais in Paris. After his death, major 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-20th century, Gaudà has been increasingly appreciated, culminating in the proclamation of several of his works as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1984 (Park Güell, Güell Palace and Casa Milá) and 2005 (crypt and apse of the Sagrada Familia, the Vicens and Batlló houses and the crypt of the Colonia Güell). Gaudà 's designs for furniture and decorative arts can now be admired in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the MOMA in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the National Art Museum of Catalonia, as well as in his House-Museum in Parc Güell.