Museum project
The Casa Vicens museum project consists in restoring and raising awareness of the first home Gaudí designed, just as the architect conceived of it.
It is imbued with the essence of Gaudí’s world: the construction, decoration and symbols that will be seen throughout his later works.
The current configuration of Casa Vicens and its land is the result of many changes and transformations, with three clearly differentiated spaces: the original construction from 1883 designed by Antoni Gaudí; the expansion from 1925 designed by Joan Baptista Serra de Martínez; and the garden surrounding the building.
Gaudí’s original spaces have been meticulously restored to their original state. Plus, the project has adapted the spaces from the 1925 expansion in order to house the various services needed for the new museum, with a contemporary architectural intervention done with the utmost respect for the original work while also employing daring solutions to valorise and maximise functionality, in line with the innovative spirit of the house.
A museum plan based on research and contents, planning and kicking off a management model that centres on long-term efficiency, sustainability and commitment.
Casa Vicens aims to be a unique space for knowledge, culture, gathering, leisure and enjoyment; an authentic discovery of the extraordinary universe of Gaudí. The visit to the house, with participative museum contents, also includes a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions and a series of cultural and educational activities that integrate various art disciplines for the enjoyment of all visitors.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Casa Vicens museum project also meets the criteria of exceptional universal value with which it was declared in 2005, under the heading “Works of Antoni Gaudí” based on three criteria:
Criterion (i): The work of Antoni Gaudí represents an exceptional and outstanding creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Criterion (ii): Gaudí’s work exhibits an important interchange of values closely associated with the cultural and artistic currents of his time, as represented in the Modernisme of Catalonia. It anticipated and influenced many of the forms and techniques that were relevant to the development of modern construction in the 20th century.
Criterion (iv): Gaudí’s work represents a series of outstanding examples of the building typology in the architecture of the early 20th century, residential as well as public, to the development of which he made a significant and creative contribution.
