Antoni Gaudí, Gerard Alegre Turat

Design by ANTONI GAUDÍ (Reus or Riudoms, Tarragona, 1852 - Barcelona, 1926).
Forger: GERARD ALEGRE TURAT (Calix, Castellón de la Plana, 1890 - ?).
Pair of candlesticks.
Wrought iron, details with golden patina.
Measurements: 53 x 25 x 28 cm.

This pair of candelabra are excellent examples of the mastery of Catalan modernism in the art of forging, made by the master forger Gerard Alegre Turat from designs by the Catalan genius Antoni Gaudí. The pieces synthesize the organic vision and ornamental complexity that characterize Gaudí's work, executed with remarkable technical skill.

Each candelabra rests on a tripod base formed by sturdy iron scrolls that curve and extend, ending in feet that simulate leaves or roots. The base is decorated with intertwined elements, including leaves and small fruits or buds, giving it stability and a strong visual connection to the earth.

The main axis is a helical or twisted shaft, a recurring motif in Gaudí's work that gives a sense of upward tension to the structure. In the middle part is a large cup or brazier. Its rim is ornamented with large acanthus leaves, expressively worked. Below this cup, a profusion of smaller flowers and leaves seem to overflow, adding a touch of baroque exuberance.The top culminates in an arrangement for multiple candles. From the center emerges the main candle holder, while around it swirl several spiraling arms, like tendrils of a vine. Each arm ends in a small candle holder, also with a stylized floral form. This arrangement creates a luminous, complex and ethereal wreath effect.

The base sits firmly with its "roots" while the main "stem" rises in an upward spiral, culminating in a flowered cup from which the arms for the candles sprout.The surface of the iron is worked in great detail to create a rich variety of textures. The dark, rustic finish of the iron contrasts with subtle touches of gold patina on the leaves, a resource that adds warmth and highlights the three-dimensionality of the details.

Self-taught and an admirer of medieval forging, Gerardo Alegre was one of the most important artistic forgers of modernist Catalonia, and worked with architects of the time such as Antoni Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch, among others. Active in Barcelona, he also carried out works for official bodies and institutions. His work shows an important influence of Gaudí, since he forged some of his designs, such as the cover of the well of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. He exhibited individually and collectively in Barcelona, especially in the Sala Parés, and also in Madrid (Sala Nancy), Mallorca, Sitges and other Catalan towns. He also participated in competitions, being awarded prizes in almost all those he took part in, including the Vich Crafts Exhibition of 1949, where he won the diploma of honor. He was also a teacher, by competitive examination, of artistic forging at the Escuela del Trabajo in Barcelona. Today, Gerardo Alegre is mainly represented in the Cau Ferrat Museum in Sitges, as well as in private collections and buildings such as the Institut de la Dona and the Palacio de la Diputación de Barcelona.

The maximum representative of Catalan modernism and, therefore, of Spanish modernism, Gaudí is one of the most outstanding architects and decorators in European history. Already as a child he liked hiking, the direct contact with nature. Having stood out as a child for his drawings, he studied architecture at the Escuela de la Llotja and the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona, where he graduated in 1878. With his first major commission, the Casa Vicens, Gaudí began to acquire renown, and to attract increasingly larger commissions. In 1878 he exhibited at the Universal Exposition in Paris a showcase made for the Comella glove shop. This piece, with its modernist and functional design, impressed the industrialist Eusebi Güell, a key figure in Gaudí's artistic biography. In fact, Güell was, in addition to being Gaudí's great friend, his main patron, and commissioned some of his most outstanding works, such as the Park Güell. In 1883 he accepted the commission to continue the work on the Sagrada Familia; Gaudí totally modified the initial project, and this construction became his masterpiece, on which he worked until the day of his death. 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 Gaudí was held at the Grand Palais in Paris. After his death, important 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-twentieth century, Gaudí's appreciation has been increasing, culminating with the proclamation of several of his works as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1984 (Park Güell, Palacio Güell and Casa Milá), and 2005 (crypt and apse of the Sagrada Familia, the houses Vicens and Batlló and the crypt of the Colonia Güell). Gaudí's designs for furniture and decorative arts can currently be admired at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the MOMA in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the National Museum of Art of Catalonia, as well as in his House-Museum in Park Güell.