The work of Antoni Gaudí continues to fascinate us today as it fascinated Eusebi Güell in 1878, during his visit to the Universal Exposition in Paris. He was so struck by a glove display case he saw there that he determined to contact its unknown author, a man to whom he would eventually entrust the design of no less than five hugely significant architectural projects. Suffice to mention Sagrada Família, Gaudí's last and most famous work, which amazes visitors today as much as or more than it did in the early 20th century, when its first four towers were just beginning to emerge. But, the mark of his genius in Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain and even in the projects he never saw to fruition, such as the skyscraper for Manhattan, is far broader and more nuanced than is generally thought. From El Capricho in Comillas, to the schools at Sagrada Família, each building, column, piece of furniture and grille evokes the creativity of a privileged mind for architecture and design.
Daniel Giralt-Miracle synthesizes in this easy-to-read book the essential aspects of Gaudí's life, his time, his ideology and his methods, at the same time as he summarises the most significant elements of each work, focusing precisely on that which places him at the pinnacle of world architectural achievement.
This has not always been the case however. In the same way as Gaudí's oeuvre is still a work in progress (we are unlikely to see Sagrada Família in all its splendour until 2026, the centenary of his death), its appreciation has evolved over time until the present day, when the architect's exceptional work in ruled geometry can be, explained better than ever through computerised design. The book summarises this evolution and brings what we thought we knew about Gaudí up to date with information that has, come-to-light in recent years.
