Josep Puig i Cadafalch

JOSEP PUIG I CADAFALCH (Mataró, 1867–Barcelona, 1958).
Carved mahogany.
It shows slight signs of wear and tear due to use and the passage of time.
Measurements: 81 x 208 x 83 cm.
Architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch is currently remembered as one of the leading figures of Catalan Modernism. He received his education in Barcelona, where he studied architecture and the exact sciences, and shortly after completing his studies, he was appointed municipal architect in his native Mataró at the age of just twenty-four. It was there that he carried out his first architectural projects, although five years later he returned to Barcelona. There, he was appointed professor at the School of Architecture, specializing in hydraulics and the strength of materials. His prestige led him to assume the position of president of the Mancomunidad de Cataluña in 1917, a role from which he developed an ambitious educational and cultural plan that included promoting the archaeological excavation of Ampurias. He held the position until 1923.
As an architect, Puig i Cadafalch was a student of Lluís Domènech i Montaner and is considered the last representative of Modernism and the first of the Novecent movement. He began his career in the Modernist style of his training, revealing a certain Nordic influence in works such as the Amatller, Martí, Terradas, and Les Punxes houses. Following this initial period, which spanned 1895 to 1905, he evolved toward a style that could be defined as “rational idealism,” based on the tastes of the new upper middle class, which crystallized in buildings designed with more rational and practical criteria, as exemplified by the Trinxet, Muntades, and Company houses. Finally, his mature period was characterized by monumental architecture and centered on the preparation of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, for which Puig i Cadafalch served as the chief architect. He now drew inspiration from Roman architecture, while also incorporating elements typical of Valencia and Andalusia, resulting in an attractive neo-Baroque style. At the same time, he also showed great interest in American architecture and even designed the Casa Pich, drawing inspiration from Louis Henry Sullivan. He also made significant contributions as an art historian. During the Civil War, he went into exile in Paris, where he devoted himself primarily to teaching architecture and history; he was awarded honorary doctorates by several universities, including the University of Paris. Upon his return, the new regime did not allow him to practice as an architect, so he turned his attention to the restoration of historic buildings.