Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1849–1923) was a Catalan architect and politician, one of the shapers of Catalan Modernisme, the local form of Art Nouveau. Born in Barcelona, he studied physics and natural sciences before switching to architecture, qualifying in 1873, and taught at and directed Barcelona's school of architecture for 45 years. His buildings mix rationalism with rich ornament drawn from Spanish-Arabic architecture. He chaired the Lliga de Catalunya and the Unió Catalanista, and left politics in 1904.
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The Palau de la Música Catalana (1908), built from 1905 for the choral society Orfeó Català, uses exposed red brick and iron, mosaics, stained glass and glazed tiles to give a feeling of openness and transparency. Casa Fuster (1911), built from 1908 for Mariano Fuster at the top of the Passeig de Gràcia, was the last town house he designed and has been a hotel since 2004. The Hospital de Sant Pau (1930), built from 1901, is twelve pavilions in a large green space linked by underground galleries, the largest complex built in Art Nouveau; with the Palau it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
