Antoni Gaudi Celebrated By Google Doodle: 4 Things To Know About The Architect

Google Doodle honored the 161st birthday of Catalan architect and designer Antonio Gaudí. And rightfully so, Gaudí is the creator of the Sagrada Familia and other architectural structures in Spain and is part of the Catalan Modernista movement.

Here are four things to know about Antonio Gaudí:

RELATED: Narcélio Grud, Brazilian Graffiti Artist, Creates Art From Food To Raise Food Wastage Awareness [VIDEO]

1. Antonio Gaudí was born in Catalonia on June 25, 1852. He studied architecture and graduated in 1878 from the Provincial School of Architecture. Upon graduation, he dabbled in Victorian style work but eventually developed his own style.

2. Recent findings from 2011 suggest that Antonio Gaudí tested his designs in the garden of a psychiatric hospital and had the patients serve as his artisans. The psychiatric hospital at Sant Boi contains many constructions that are similar to the work of Antonio Gaudí and for a while, many believed it to be an imitation.

3. Antonio Gaudí died died tragically on June 7th, 1926 after being hit by a trolley car in Barcelona. Since Antoni Gaudí was dressed in street clothes, doctors took him for a beggar instead of an architect and denied him the treatment he needed.

4. He was few weeks away from his 75th birthday when he died. At the time, he was working on the Sagrada Familia and his death left the structure unfinished, as only one of the four towers was built. The structure will be completed in 2026 to mark his 100th death anniversary.