Sagnier's City. Modernista, eclectic and monumental

"la Caixa" Social and Cultural Outreach Projects organises an exhibition about the Catalan architect Enric Sagnier i Villavecchia (1858-1931) a key element of the configuration of the Barcelona cityscape

Tibidabo, the Palau de Justícia, the new customs house in Barcelona and dozens of apartment buildings, churches and factories bear witness to the activity of the creator of over 400 buildings in the city.

His work evolved from the eclectic style characteristic of the last decades of the 19th century down to Modernisme.
The exhibition recreates the world of the Barcelona bourgeoisie where Sagnier was born: the family, technical modernity, the journeys in Europe. And his architecture is presented in an engrossing montage that introduces the visitors to a city under construction.

On the one hand, the exhibition shows the versatility that led him to take an interest in different kinds of building: from a small workshop to a hotel, from a chalet to a bank. At the same time it presents the use of decorative elements of Modernisme, reconstructs the life of a landmark building like the Hotel Colón in Plaça Catalunya, which is no longer standing, takes a closer look at his work on the Palau de Justícia and recovers a collection of photographs of the building of Tibidabo Church, a religious symbol and internationally renowned icon of the city of Barcelona.

Date: until January 8.
Place: CaixaForum Barcelona, Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-8. 08038 Barcelona. (Spain).
Opening hours: from Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm. Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 9pm.