Barcelona

Provocative shapes

La Pedrera, or Casa Milà, owes its more popular name, to the controversy it provoked on its completion in 1910. “The quarry” is an insulting name some locals came up with to mock the extravagant and gloomy appearance of its main facade. Antoni Gaudí was commissioned to do it by the wealthy Milà family, who wanted to move to Passeig de Gràcia, like most comfortably-off bourgeois families at the start of the 20th century.

At that time, Gaudí was in his naturalist phase and at the height of his creative powers, so the house, inspired by the organic shapes of nature, has an undulating surface devoid of any volumetric rigidity. His innovation produced a whole that is a typical Gaudí work, where geometric lines are merely straight lines that form curves. Aside from the impressive decorated facades, another outstanding feature of La Pedrera is the roof terrace, with 30 chimneys representing petrified warriors that make an open-air sculpture garden. The powerful religious symbolism Gaudí imbued the building with has also given rise to various interpretations.

A space to enjoy Gaudí

La Pedrera is currently owned by the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera. The foundation keeps the roof and the attic open to the public, and there is an exhibition on Gaudí and his work. Some of the flats are private and the main one has been turned into an exhibition hall. Exploring La Pedrera means entering Gaudí’s private universe, a world full of fantasy and impossible shapes that impresses every visitor.