Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Polychromatic Trencadís Chimney Stacks of Casa Batlló by Antoni Gaudí

2078

High Catalan Modernisme, 1904–1906

A group of helically twisted trencadís chimney stacks from the rooftop terrace of Casa Batlló in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí and completed 1904–1906. Each chimney shaft is twisted helically along its vertical axis, the twist rotating the shaft’s polygonal cross-section through multiple degrees of rotation between base and cap. The exterior surfaces are densely covered in polychromatic trencadís with color fields composed to align with and emphasize the helical direction — bands of color rotating with the twist, producing a visual spiral that reinforces the structural rotation. The mosaic shard surfaces are intensely textured, with projecting fragment edges creating three-dimensional relief across the rotating form. The chimneys appear to be caught in mid-rotation, as if interrupted in the act of turning.