When it comes to risk-taking architecture, it's hard to dazzle Shanghai, but "crazy genius" Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) startled Barcelona with his fanciful wonders. An exhibition on his extravagances wowed Beijing, now it's in Shanghai, writes Michelle Qiao.Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) was always known as a crazy genius for the extravagant, fanciful buildings he designed in Barcelona. But through more than 20 years' study, Spanish art critic Daniel Giralt-Miracle has found that Gaudi was a geometer, a scientist as well as an artist.And now he's showing the secrets of geometry behind Gaudi's extraordinary buildings at an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) Shanghai titled "Cosmo Gaudi." The exhibit wowed Beijing and is expected to dazzle Shanghai, which is known for own architectural daring and dazzle."Spain has four maestros, Picasso, Miro, Dali and Gaudi and the first three are all painters whose artworks, unlike Gaudi's architecture, are easy to transport and exhibit," says Giralt-Miracle, exhibition curator.Barcelona is known for Gaudi's astonishing and inventive landmark buildings. They are colorful, flowing, organic, based on nature, representative of the art nouveau period and reflecting the Moorish influence in Spain."So many people got to know Gaudi's works through postcards, posters or DVDs, but few truly understand him," he says. "I want to act like a doctor, to show to people not only the skin, but also the skeleton of Gaudi's work. According to my research, Gaudi not only had great design ideas, but also a solid technical background to make his ideas into real architecture."The exhibition showcases 26 models including five large models, 16 original works and 17 replicas of Gaudi's works."Gaudi was such a unique architect that he always made models in his studio first and then drew blueprints," he says. Giralt-Miracle wants visitors to first watch videos to know Gaudi's architectural achievement and then understand the structure of these fantastic buildings through these sculpture-like models. "We want to show a rational Gaudi, not a crazy Gaudi as people have believed him to be."The Barcelona-born curator himself has lived in a Gaudi's world of Barcelona since childhood. His father's office was close to Gaudi's home, his school was near the Park Guell designed by Gaudi. His mother's private doctor was in La Casa Batllo and he used to work in Casa Mila, both of which are Gaudi's work."Where I live, I cannot get away from Gaudi. So I have to choose to love him or to hate him. Then I chose to love Gaudi," he says.His connection with Gaudi reached a climax when he was assigned by the government to renovate La Casa Mila in 1986."To accomplish this mission, I studied through the innermost parts of the building, just like seeing through the inner organs of a body," he recalls. "I was stunned by the magic geometric structure inside this famous building."In addition to models and illustrations, highlights of the exhibition also include many pieces of furniture designed by Gaudi, notably lovely chairs."Gaudi lived at a time when 19th-century handicrafts were giving way to the Industrial Revolution, which was reflected in his design," says the curator. "He began from those chairs in complicated, classic style and ends with very simple style. But curves are always the theme of his works because he believes curves are like the human body."And there are elements of nature everywhere in Gaudi's design. For instance, some chairs' legs are just like dogs' legs, which make the chair very steady. The backs of some chairs are shaped like leaves and dotted with flower-patterned carvings."So MoCA is the ideal venue to show Gaudi's works, which has mingled design with nature," says Giralt-Miracle. "The museum style is quite open, bright, with some transparent features and green bamboo and trees outside."The Gaudi exhibition was popular in Beijing and attracted 1.7 million people in July."After more than 20 years' study of Gaudi, I still discover new things every day," says Giralt-Miracle. "You can also find his wit in some tiny places, like a line of cute words on a roof or a little star at the corner. He was one of the few architects who never repeated his design in another building. He was more like an inventor or scientist, like Einstein. His works appear quite different from different angles. La Casa Mila differs in different minutes, according to the different angles of the sun and the change of seasons.""Gaudi was a lonely, extreme man, who'd lived a rather simple life between his studio and home and spent all his time studying the geometry of architecture," says Giralt-Miracle. "If he was not a crazy man, he was definitely a perfectionist. He was a strict man with a bad temper, who often scolded colleagues who couldn't achieve his standard. But he also had a soft side and was very kind to children. He was a great philosopher and thinker but never published a book. He is like a myth and he's limitless."On June 7, 1926, Gaudi was run over by a tram: Cab drivers refused to pick him up because of his ragged clothing and empty pockets - they feared he couldn't pay the fare.