Gaudí's centenary: exhibition in León explores trencadís technique

An exhibition at the Museo Casa Botines in León, Spain, examines how Antoni Gaudí elevated recycled ceramic fragments into a universal artistic language through his trencadís technique. The show coincides with the centenary of Gaudí's death in 2026. Art historian Mireia Freixa, who curated the exhibition, describes Gaudí not as a genius but as an "ingenio" (ingenuity), emphasizing his ability to discover alternatives overlooked by others. She notes that Gaudí could construct what other architects only dared to draw. The trencadís technique is immortalized in iconic works such as Park Güell and Casa Batlló in Barcelona. The exhibition reveals how Gaudí's use of waste materials—essentially rubble—was a form of recycling that became a hallmark of modernist architecture. Freixa ranks Gaudí among the ten most important architects in history.