During the upcoming 100th anniversary of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s death, his surrealist masterpiece, Casa Batlló, will open a new exhibition space. Set on the second floor, it will welcome the collectible art world, in a portion of the house that has been closed to the public for decades.
Mesura, an architecture and design studio founded in 2010 in Barcelona, was tapped for the redesign of the space and said it intends to infuse the hall with a new, distinct identity. Renders of the space show a curved metal ceiling produced using robotic technology and screen-printed with concentric ripples evoking a drop of water on a calm lake.
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“Intervening in a Gaudí building is both a dream and an enormous responsibility. Our goal was to create an echo of his work, a whisper that adds to his universe without altering it,” said Carlos Dimas, a partner at Mesura.
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Among Mesura’s most recent projects is the Museum of Incense Road and Music Hub in Saudi Arabia’s design mecca, the oasis of Alula.
Spanning 2,476 square feet, the new space at Casa Batlló will host two exhibitions per year and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31.
The inaugural event will feature London-based United Visual Artists, an art practice known for its diverse body of work that integrates new technologies with traditional media, including sculpture, performance and site-specific installation. The studio was founded by British artist Matt Clark in 2003.
Casa Batlló’s general director Gary Gautier said the new space is part of its aim to strengthen the city’s cultural fabric.
“We aspire for Casa Batlló to remain a cultural beacon both locally and globally, a reference for how living heritage can evolve with purpose, sensitivity and innovation. Opening this space in the centenary of Gaudí’s death… represents a significant milestone for the city, enriching its cultural landscape.”
To coincide with opening, United Visual Artists will unveil a projection mapping artwork for Casa Batlló’s iconic facade, commissioned by the house for the fifth edition of its annual public facade mapping event. These initiatives are part of the Casa Batlló Contemporary program that invites artists to collaborate with the museum to rethink and reimagine Gaudí’s storied legacy, leading up to the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death on June 10, 1926. In 1993, the 20th-century monument was purchased and restored by the Bernats, the family of Spanish confectioner Enric Bernat, who invented and founded Chupa Chups lollipops. The home was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.
Gaudí, who also designed the city’s yet-to-be-finished Sagrada Família Basilica, was a pillar of the Modernisme period, Spain’s unique version of Art Nouveau. Passionate about utopian socialism and architecture, Gaudí’s forms and shapes were totally fresh, otherworldly and are sometimes referred to as a precursor of the Surrealist movement, of which Salvador Dalí was a key proponent. The designer rose to international fame once again when Pope Francis (days before his own death in April) declared him as “Venerable,” an early step in the path to being formally canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Born in 1852, Gaudí is often referred to as “God’s Architect.” A man of deep faith, his greatest endeavour was the Basilica de la Sagrada Família, which was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI. It is expected to finally open in 2026.