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Gaudi: God's Architect
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'This biography restores Gaudí to life as one of the most original architects of all time...Stanford shows how the Catalan genius put his soul into everything he did.' Blake Morrison
'This riveting portrait brings together as a compelling whole the triumphs and the tragedies of Gaudí's life.' Antonia Fraser
'In daring to trace the complex connections between Gaudí's religious faith and his famous buildings, this is an enriching, nuanced book.' Tobias Jones
Antoni Gaudí's architecture is among the world's most instantly recognisable sights. His still unfinished basilica, La Sagrada Família welcomes five million visitors annually. Yet in this the centenary year of his death, knocked down in the street by a tram, mistaken for a tramp and spending his last hours in a paupers' hospital, much about this unworldly genius remains a mystery, not least the source of inspiration to create extraordinary buildings that stand in a place of honour of their own in the canon of architecture. His explanation - that the fount of his imagination was God - sits uncomfortably alongside his modern-day fame in a secular world that nonetheless celebrates him.
In reconnecting Gaudí's peerless architecture with the highs and lows of his faith, Peter Stanford walks in his footsteps through Barcelona, retracing his life through the buildings, parks and landscapes he admired and those that he created. Join him on Gaudí's journey from the Catalan countryside, where his love affair with nature began, to becoming a celebrated figure in the booming industrial city of Barcelona, with its extremes of rich and poor - and its undercurrent of violence and anti-clericalism that almost left La Sagrada Família an unfinished folly. Tragedy, loss and depression stalked his life, but reinforced his belief that his work was a religious vocation, prompting contemporary moves by the Vatican towards declaring him a saint.
'This riveting portrait brings together as a compelling whole the triumphs and the tragedies of Gaudí's life.' Antonia Fraser
'In daring to trace the complex connections between Gaudí's religious faith and his famous buildings, this is an enriching, nuanced book.' Tobias Jones
Antoni Gaudí's architecture is among the world's most instantly recognisable sights. His still unfinished basilica, La Sagrada Família welcomes five million visitors annually. Yet in this the centenary year of his death, knocked down in the street by a tram, mistaken for a tramp and spending his last hours in a paupers' hospital, much about this unworldly genius remains a mystery, not least the source of inspiration to create extraordinary buildings that stand in a place of honour of their own in the canon of architecture. His explanation - that the fount of his imagination was God - sits uncomfortably alongside his modern-day fame in a secular world that nonetheless celebrates him.
In reconnecting Gaudí's peerless architecture with the highs and lows of his faith, Peter Stanford walks in his footsteps through Barcelona, retracing his life through the buildings, parks and landscapes he admired and those that he created. Join him on Gaudí's journey from the Catalan countryside, where his love affair with nature began, to becoming a celebrated figure in the booming industrial city of Barcelona, with its extremes of rich and poor - and its undercurrent of violence and anti-clericalism that almost left La Sagrada Família an unfinished folly. Tragedy, loss and depression stalked his life, but reinforced his belief that his work was a religious vocation, prompting contemporary moves by the Vatican towards declaring him a saint.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for an unbiased review.
I have lived in Barcelona for many years, surrounded in my neighborhood by Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, Casa Calvet, and the intersection where Gaudí was run over by a local tram.
2026 is a big Gaudí year in Barcelona- June 10 2026 is the centennial of his death, and Sagrada Familia will be "completed" (note: it is not completed. With the Glory façade construction, fit and finishes, plus building the grand entrance if they decide to bulldoze locals' homes, it's estimated to be "done" in another 10-20 years!!!). So Stanford, a British religious historian, wrote this 2026 biography as seen through Gaudí's architecture.
Gaudí is a difficult man to document- he was famously reclusive, camera- and publicity-shy, and left little documentation behind of his work (much was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War). Yet, this biography is compulsively readable (with the exception of the very dry beginning). I'm a huge history and architecture nerd, and while I live amongst all things Gaudí, this book actually had tidbits I'd been unaware of (the Church of Felipe Neri apparently sports two portraits using Gaudí's face! I must go check that out this week....). So despite Stanford being a non-Catalan, non-Spanish outsider, he did his homework here- including alluding to Gaudí's rumored homosexuality and fiery temper, which conflict with current attempts at his canonization.
My biggest complaint of this book: Gaudí's work is so highly visual, and the book's descriptions of his buildings are so extensive, that the lack of large, detailed photographs is a big miss. If I didn't live in BCN, and wasn't intimately familiar with Gaudí's works, much of this book's descriptions would be lost on me.
I have lived in Barcelona for many years, surrounded in my neighborhood by Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, Casa Calvet, and the intersection where Gaudí was run over by a local tram.
2026 is a big Gaudí year in Barcelona- June 10 2026 is the centennial of his death, and Sagrada Familia will be "completed" (note: it is not completed. With the Glory façade construction, fit and finishes, plus building the grand entrance if they decide to bulldoze locals' homes, it's estimated to be "done" in another 10-20 years!!!). So Stanford, a British religious historian, wrote this 2026 biography as seen through Gaudí's architecture.
Gaudí is a difficult man to document- he was famously reclusive, camera- and publicity-shy, and left little documentation behind of his work (much was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War). Yet, this biography is compulsively readable (with the exception of the very dry beginning). I'm a huge history and architecture nerd, and while I live amongst all things Gaudí, this book actually had tidbits I'd been unaware of (the Church of Felipe Neri apparently sports two portraits using Gaudí's face! I must go check that out this week....). So despite Stanford being a non-Catalan, non-Spanish outsider, he did his homework here- including alluding to Gaudí's rumored homosexuality and fiery temper, which conflict with current attempts at his canonization.
My biggest complaint of this book: Gaudí's work is so highly visual, and the book's descriptions of his buildings are so extensive, that the lack of large, detailed photographs is a big miss. If I didn't live in BCN, and wasn't intimately familiar with Gaudí's works, much of this book's descriptions would be lost on me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I am absolutely fascinated by Gaudi and his work. This is coming in when they’ve just finished the cross to the Sagrada Família and there is a debate on whether it follows the style faithfully or not ( if you’ve been inside, it does).
This is a very text heavy book on Gaudi. I wish it had more photos to go along with the text. It reads like a history book. Still has a tonne of good info inside it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews