Modernism has given Barcelona a unique style that goes beyond the purely aesthetic. The streets of Barcelona are like a huge museum, in which the windows, the mosaics and other elements allow us to reconstruct the years between the World Expo of 1888 and the first decade of the twentieth century. This was the era in which modernism was converted into an everyday art form, helping Barcelona to grow and making even the most basic objects seem art.

With this desire to use art throughout, you can see how the modernist stamp has left its mark not only on master pieces such as the Pedrera, the Park Güell or the Sagrada Familia, but how it also shines through in the small businesses and establishments in the city.

Modernism spread to other countries, but Catalan modernism has managed to retain its own personality, being as it is closely linked to a political project (Catalanism). It is a style that combines the traditional national symbols with the abundant references to Nordic architecture and the technological advances that meant new materials such as laminated iron and industrial glass, among others, could be in used in construction. Also characteristic of this movement is the concept of "complete work", which is to say, the architects planned the construction as a whole, also thinking in terms of the decoration, the furniture, etc.

Antoni Gaudí (the Parc Güell, the Sagrada Familia) is the most important representative of this Catalan modernism. As for architecture, there are notable personalities such as Lluís Domènech i Montaner and Josep Puig i Cadafalch.