The angular, turreted 1888 Casa Vicens was one of Gaudí’s first commissions. Tucked away west of Gràcia’s main drag, the richly detailed facade of this private house is awash with ceramic colour and shape. The house was up for sale at the time of writing, but rumour had it that an Andorran bank had placed an offer and was planning to open it to the public.
As was frequently the case, Gaudí sought inspiration from the past, in this case the rich heritage of building in the Mudéjar-style brick, typical in those parts of Spain reconquered from the Muslims. Mudéjar architecture was created by those Arabs and Berbers allowed to remain in Spain after the Christian conquests.
