The bright silver arch, with a mirror positioned underneath, and a uniquely designed wooden bench are out of the ordinary. Welcome to the world of Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), Spain's most eccentric architect. The exhibition, Cosmos Gaudi: Architecture, Geometry and Design, is now running at the Capital Museum in Beijing until August 2. 

Jointly organized by Spain's State Corporation for Overseas Cultural Action (SEACEX), the Capital Museum of Beijing, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai (MOCA Shanghai), the exhibition showcases 16 original works, 17 reproductions and 26 models.

Daniel Giralt-Miracle, curator of this exhibition, says the show will present the different worlds that constituted the cosmos of Gaudi with an analysis of his life, his buildings and structures and materials, through a collection of photographs, scale models, computer graphics and furniture.

At the exhibition, Giralt-Miracle asked a female visitor to sit on a 100-year-old wooden bench and explained to her the seat's purpose. "The height is designed by people's legs' length. The holes on the bench are for the purpose of ventilation. The arch shape on the back is to rest your arm on. They were all designed to make people feel comfortable," he says.

"There are some geniuses in human history," he says of Gaudi, whose unfinished work, the Sagrada Familia, is one of Spain's most visited tourist sites. Gaudi is probably the most creative architect after Michelangelo, Giralt-Miracle says.

"By looking at Gaudi's works, it is possible to get overwhelmed by the exuberance of its forms, the richness of its colors or the magic of its symbolism," the curator says.

The exhibition is the fourth organized by SEACEX during the Year of Spain in China. The genius of Spain's most famous architect is still largely unknown by many Chinese, Isabel Serrano Sanchez, director general of SEACEX says.

For design students who adore Gaudi's works, the exhibition offers a direct and vivid glimpse into the artist's world. Huang Zhu, a student of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, was impressed by the unique style and design of the exhibits.

"They are so different with other European styles in terms of shape and color. Also its focus on function in designing the furniture is very inspiring," Huang says.

Gaudi's designs, such as La Pedrera in Barcelona, differ dramatically in form and color from other European styles.File photos
 

However, video and models only scratch the surface of the architect's work, Huang says. "We want to know more about him and his works. It would be great to actually see his real buildings in Spain."

After the Capital Museum of Beijing, the exhibition will move to MOCA Shanghai, where it will run until September 23.

(China Daily June 12, 2007)