It is normal that we know the architect facet of Antonio Gaudí, but not so much his part as a designer. When we walk along the Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona, we do so on tiles designed by Gaudí himself, in 1904.
Originally, the Gaudí Tile was designed to be used in his iconic Casa Batlló, but due to production problems, this idea was discarded and it ended up being used in the Casa Milá (La Pedrera), both houses located on the Paseo de Gracia.
The uniqueness of this design lies in its groundbreaking hexagonal shape, which together with the engravings of marine motifs (a starfish, a snail and an alga) very recurrent in Gaudí's work, make up the entire composition when they are joined together. yes, seven of these pieces, repeating as many times, as space is available. Despite being a monochrome piece, it manages to convey the sensation of volume, thanks to the play of light and shadow, generated by the relief of the engraving. With this sculptural work, he manages to unite the two branches present in almost all of his work, the geometric and the symbolic.
This piece has the honor of being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), nothing more and nothing less, as the first product with the consideration of industrial design. One more sample of Gaudí's genius, a mind ahead of his time. We can also find it on a smaller scale in other Spanish cities such as Granada and Jaén, as well as inside premises and private homes, thanks to its serial production by manufacturers of hydraulic flooring.
After two important interventions in the configuration of Paseo de Gracia, carried out in 1971 and 1997, it was decided to pave the entire Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona with these peculiar pieces, as a tribute to Gaudí. The pieces that we can see today are a faithful copy of the original, since in 1971 an adaptation made by the designer Jordi Ros was used, expanding the size of the piece from the original 25 centimeters to 43.
If you ever walk on these sidewalks, remember that you are stepping on a work of art.
Thank you very much for your time