This series was the winner of the American Institute of Architects' prestigious "Award for Excellence in International Book Publishing". Each volume in this series is introduced with an essay on the architect, and a chronological or stylistic presentation of their most outstanding buildings and projects. No other series provides such a complete and concise summary of the world's leading architects' works. The volumes are fully illustrated in black-and-white with photos and project renderings.
A book that brings together all the work of Gaudí: from his early works to the later creations of his mature period. The writer Joan Bassegoda reveals to us in his text “The secret of Gaudí” and provides us with the keys to each architectural monument. It includes drawings of the buildings and a visual chronology of the architect’s life.
An illuminating biography of one of the most famous--and most famously unfinished--buildings in the world, the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona. The scaffolding-cloaked spires of Antoni Gaudí's masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, dominate the Barcelona skyline and draw in millions of visitors every year. More than a century after the first stone was laid in 1882, the Sagrada Familia remains unfinished, a testament to Gaudí's quixotic ambition, his religious devotion, and the sensuous eccentricity of his design. It has defied the critics, the penny-pinching accountants, the conservative town-planners, and the devotees of sterile modernism. It has enchanted and frustrated the citizens of Barcelona. And it has passed through the landmark changes of twentieth-century Spain, surviving two World Wars, the ravages of the Spanish Civil War, and the "Hunger Years" of Franco's rule. Gijs van Hensbergen's The Sagrada Familia explores the evolution of this remarkable building, working through the decades right up to the present day before looking beyond to the final stretch of its construction. Rich in detail and vast in scope, this is a revelatory chronicle of an iconic structure, its place in history, and the wild genius that created it.
At the time of his death in 1926, Antoni Gaudí was arguably the most famous architect in the world. He had created some of the greatest and most controversial masterpieces of modern architecture, which were as exotic as they were outrageous. But little is known about the shadowy figure behind the swirling, vivid buildings that inspired the Surrealists. This masterful biography brings both man and architect powerfully to life against the changing backdrop of Barcelona and Catalonia. Gijs van Hensbergen leads us through the design and construction of Gaudí’s most significant buildings -- revealing their innovation and complexity, and demonstrating the growing relevance of Gaudí’s architecture today.
Gaudí's complete works: The inspiring, visionary buildings by the "Dante of architecture" Anyone who visits Barcelona today will come across the works of Antoni Gaudí--the architect who has attracted art-lovers from all over the world to Spain. It was here, in the capital of Catalonia, that the famous master of architecture produced nearly all of his works, including villas for the well-to-do bourgeoisie, the expansive Güell Park (which today is open to the public), and the famous church designed in honour of the Holy Family--a project which was begun over 100 years ago and has yet to be completed. Antoni Gaudí's life was full of contradictions. As a young man he joined the Catalonian nationalist movement and was critical of the church; toward the end of his life he devoted himself completely to the construction of one single church. As a young man Gaudí had a liking for the glamour of social life and the looks of a dandy; in old age, on the other hand, he lived a spartan life. Gaudí never married and devoted his life entirely to his art: architecture. His works have been acclaimed as "soothing oases in a desert of functional buildings," as "precious gems in the uniform grey of rows of houses," and the master himself was acclaimed as the "Dante of architecture". This book provides a sweeping study of his entire career, presenting his complete works via texts and illustrations.
A new edition in a more manageable pocket-sized format, with new colour photos and updated practical information, of the guide to the work of Antoni Gaudí published by Gustavo Gili in 1990. This guide offers an exhaustive tour of the buildings the architect created in Barcelona, without forgetting (in a final appendix) those he built in Castille, Cantabria and the Balearic Islands. The description of each building is highly detailed and provides ample documentation, both architectural (ground plans, cross-sections and elevations) and photographic, with views of the interiors and details like ironwork, furniture and mosaics, which illustrate the idea of the "total work of art" typical of his oeuvre. Antoni Gaudí was an all-round architect whose works were personal and unique, as well as being highly distinctive. Since his death he has greatly influenced other architects, both in Catalonia and beyond. This is the only currently available guide to Gaudí's architecture. It provides a thorough tour of the architect's buildings in Barcelona, and also includes a final appendix dealing with his works in Castille, Cantabria and the Balearic Islands. There is a detailed description of each building, with architectural information (ground plans, cross-sections and elevations) and photographs (views of the interiors and the details like the ironwork, furniture and mosaics that Gaudí produced for his works, in keeping with his idea of the 'total work of art').
