A study of the Expiatory Church of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. It charts the styles the architect Gaudi evolved during his career. At crypt level a Gothic design is used, but as the building climbs the structure passes through the Art Noveau stage before becoming surreal.

The fascination that the work of Gaudí arouses is due in large part to the enigmatic symbolism of its forms, full of mystical and philosophical significance that is sometimes difficult for observers to perceive, but which becomes clearer when analysed in the light of certain very influential currents of ideas in the art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Based on the study of Casa Bellesguard and the Temple of the Sagrada Família, this book opens up new avenues for interpreting Gaudí’s symbolism, discovering the ties existing between the work of the Catalan architect and that of the German painter Peter Lenz, which at the same time is rooted in the early Romantic period. Aimed at both specialists and the general public, Antoni Gaudí: Casa Bellesguard as the Key to His Symbolism not only broadens the knowledge and the documentation of Gaudí’s creative universe, but also contributes to enriching our perception of his work.

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.

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.