An accessible account of the contradictory life and work of the modernist Catalan architect.
 
The celebrated art nouveau architect Antoni Gaudí was a contradictory figure: a deeply religious, politically right-wing man who nevertheless built revolutionary buildings. This book explores Gaudí’s life, work, and influences from Catalan nationalism to the industrial revolution. Michael Eaude expertly guides readers through Gaudí’s dozen great works, including the Sagrada Família that attracts millions of tourists each year. Gaudí’s life is also chronicled from his provincial upbringing in Reus to his time in Barcelona. He later suffered a nervous breakdown, became obsessively religious, and fused Gothic, Baroque, and Orientalist architecture into his unique style. This brief biography offers an accessible introduction to this perplexing and fascinating life.

Michael Eaude is the author of several books on Spanish and Catalan culture, including A People’s History of Catalonia.

Introduction
1 Watching Nature Twist and Turn
2 Influences
3 The Free-thinking Family
4 The First Great Houses
5 Religious Crisis
6 The Spoiled Child of the Industrial Revolution
7 The Busy Years
8 Everything Flows
9 Stubborn as a Pig
10 Gaudí after Death

References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements