The Basilica Of The Sagrada Famla

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.

Antoni Gaudí, an architect with a very strong personality and with an incomparable imagination for forms, was also a first class constructor, capable of introducing innovations into traditional styles and finding other solutions that met the needs of his time and, indeed, those of the future. This book takes a tour of the Temple of the Sagrada Família--his most emblematic and popular work, to which he devoted more than 42 years of his life--, in order to discover the innumerable details that characterise it, just as Gaudí left it at the time of his death, as well as its continuation, undertaken using current techniques, something that demonstrates the feasibility of his fantastic project.

Antoni Gaudi arrived at the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca in the winter of 1902 to take on the restoration of a part of the temple. He was helped in this task by the artists Josep Maria Jujol, Joan Rubia and Joaquim Torres-Garcia. Despite the fact his work was highly criticized, due to the elimination of some traditional elements, the result is startling and challenges the passing of time.

An introduction by Daniel Giralt-Miracle, commissioner for the International year of Gaudi 2002, opens this book presenting the complete work of the brilliant architect Gaudi. It includes preliminary sketches and chapters about glasshouses, chimneys, 'trencadis' work, ceramic, doors, animals, etc... A 'must have' book.

Gaudi's bizarre and romantic buildings, interiors and exteriors, mosiacs and public spaces, have imbued Barcelona with unique character and ensured his place in the pantheon of great architects.

Discover the Temple of the Sagrada Familia, the masterpiece of Gaudi in Barcelona, with this coffee table book that contains a lot of colourful pictures. Published by Triangles Postals, this book is good start for a future journey.