The Casa Martí () is a
''modernista'' building designed by
Josep Puig i Cadafalch
Josep Puig i Cadafalch (; 17 October 1867 in Mataró – 21 December 1956 in Barcelona) was a Spanish architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona, and a politician who had a significant role in the development of Catalan regio ...
in 1896, having been commissioned by relatives of Francesc Vilumara, a textile magnate. It stands at Carrer Montsió, 3,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.
Striking features of the building, more northern-European than Catalan in appearance, are the large pointed arches on the ground floor containing stained-glass windows, the curious ornamentation of the upper-floor windows and the balconies in
Flamboyant
Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
style.
The exterior is also notable for sculptures by
Eusebi Arnau,
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...
work by
Manuel Ballarín and, on a pedestal on the corner, a statue of
Saint Joseph
According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus.
Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern O ...
by
Josep Llimona. The existing one is a reproduction of the original, which was destroyed during the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
and replaced by the City Council in 2000.
The building has not been preserved in its entirety. The original lintel of the door by Puig i Cadafalch disappeared in one of the modifications that the building has undergone in its more than one hundred years of history.
On the ground floor there is the
Quatre Gats tavern, which was one of the artistic and cultural epicentres of Barcelona between 1897 and 1903.
Ramon Casas,
Santiago Rusiñol and
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
were amongst the illustrious figures who ate and drank here. The interior decor was financed by Ramon Casas, who paid for the circular chandeliers and the mediaeval furniture designed by Puig i Cadafalch. Another of his “presents” was the painting showing two men, the owner of the establishment Pere Romeu and Casas himself, pedalling a tandem; the one now in the bar is a copy, the original being in the
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
The (; ), abbreviated as MNAC (), is a museum of Catalonia, Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, near Plaça d'Espanya, Barcelona, Pl Espanya, th ...
.
Between 1903 and 1936, Casa Martí was hosting the
Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc.
The building was declared an Asset of National Cultural Interest on 9 January 1976.
File:Puig.i.Cadafalch.Casa.Martí.4Gats.Barcelona.Entrada2.JPG,
File:15-10-27-Els Quatre Gats-RalfR-WMA 2729.jpg,
File:Puig.i.Cadafalch.Casa.Martí.4Gats.Barcelona.JPG,
See also
*
List of Modernisme buildings in Barcelona
External links
Casa Martí as location of the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc
Sources
· Translated from Catalan Wikipedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casa Marti
Buildings and structures in Barcelona
Modernisme architecture in Barcelona
Josep Puig i Cadafalch buildings
Buildings and structures completed in 1896
Art Nouveau restaurants