1930 - 2012

If the work of Antoni Gaudí is universally acknowledged heritage, it is largely thanks to Joan Bassegoda Nonell, an architect and professor who wrote 1,500 articles and some thirty books on the oeuvre of the genius from Reus. Born in Barcelona in 1930, into a family of architects (his father and grandfather, and later also his brother, with whom he would set up practice), Bassegoda earned his degree from the Barcelona School of Architecture in 1956. His passion for Gaudí came early on. Already in 1966 he was elected president of the Friends of Gaudí Association, a post he held until all his life. Two years later he became chair professor of architectural history and was named director of the Gaudí Chair at the UPC. From here, and as a prestigious spreader of knowledge, he contributed enormously to elucidating the figure of Gaudí, both for specialists and for the public at large. His professional activities, centered on historic restoration, had him working on outstanding Gaudí works like Casa Batlló and Parque Güell, as well as in heritage emblems like the Basilica of Santa María del Mar, the monastery of Poblet and the Liceo Opera House.