Un monumento dedicado a Gaudí inaugurado en Barcelona

Una estátua de Antoni Gaudí, esculpida por el artista Joaquim Camps, fue oficialmente dwas unveiled and officially dedicated recently en el nuevamente restaurado Portal de la Finca Miralles, en el Passeig Manuel Girona, en Barcelona, siendo el primer monumento en la ciudad de Barcelona dedicado al brillante arquitecto del Camp de Tarragona.

La inauguración de la estátua de bronce, presidida por el Alcalde Joan Clos, marcó el fin de una mañana dedicada a Gaudí. Todo empezó en las Caballerizas de la Finca Güell, en la Cátedra Gaudí dirigida por Joan Bassegoda. Allí, una placa identifica desde ese día la calle George R. Collins, una pequeña calle dedicada a un americano estudioso de la obra de Gaudí y del modernismo en general.

Beside the statue, the mayor also awarded the Modernist Keys of Honor - an artistic creation by the same sculptor - granted by City Hall to companies who sponsored the monument and support the Barcelona Route of Modernism. Barcelona, along with Brussels and other cities, is pushing the creation of a "European route of modernism" to promote touristic and cultural itineraries based on works of this movement.

Pacts were signed marking cooperation agreements between the City Governments of Barcelona, Astorga (Leon), Canet de Mar, Sant Joan Despi, and La Garriga, to promote awareness of modernism.

The monument to Gaudí had already been shown over the previous weekend, and the earlier extended weekend of October 12 (Columbus Day), at the site of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Many citizens took advantage of those days to have their picture taken next to the figure, which is 1.80 meters tall. Although the urbanistic history of Barcelona cannot be explained without mentioning this architectural genius, the city had not yet dedicated any statue to Gaudí, even though the archbishopric, for example, had already initiated the procedures to request his beatification.