What do you think?
Rate this book
Gaudí. The life of a visionary
Vida i obra de Gaudí. Turisme.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
7 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 17, 2015
I picked up this little biography of the great Catalan architect/artist at a gift shop in Barcelona’s Parc Guell. The book delivered exactly what I hoped that it would: a short, concise discussion of his life and art, done in an intelligent manner, and with a sufficient number of illustrations. Gaudi has always been an artistic hero of mine. The concrete manifestations of his brilliant imagination turned out to be as wonderful to behold in real life as they were when I first saw them in photos. In fact I remember an art history lecture that I went to when the professor was discussing Gaudi and Barcelona, and it was at that moment that I wanted to go there and see these things in person. And it turns out that his technical skills were as sharp as his imagination was brilliant. His work can take one into dreams, into childhood, to Middle Earth, to a world of natural shapes that has yet to appear in nature. But what I also liked about him after reading this was that he was a man of spiritual devotion and modesty, and that towards the end of his years, his work was done for one client alone: God.
The one drawback of the book is its skimpiness. Unfortunately, it seems that a fair amount of Gaudi’s life was either not recorded or not discussed, and the author makes a fair number of speculations. There must be a more complete biography somewhere, but for a book of 140 short pages, this does an admirable job.
The one drawback of the book is its skimpiness. Unfortunately, it seems that a fair amount of Gaudi’s life was either not recorded or not discussed, and the author makes a fair number of speculations. There must be a more complete biography somewhere, but for a book of 140 short pages, this does an admirable job.
January 26, 2020
Gaudí's work was influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature, and religion.
Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study by architects. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain. Barcelona would never be what it is without Gaudi.
Visiting Barcelona and the beautiful creations of Gaudi, I came across this book in a gift shop in Parc Guell. The more I walked around the streets of the Catalonian capital, the more impressed I was by Gaudi’s creations. I wanted to know more also about the man who created such unique architectural designs. This book is short and offers little information. Still, I know more after reading it. Like many great people, Gaudi was a simple man with a vision, as says the subtitle of the book. He knew what he wanted, he had the talent. Despite all the barriers that life itself put in his way and his poor health, he managed to create ad leave such majestic works.
Gaudí is usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. “For Gaudi, the theory of architecture was inseparable from the analysis of the laws of nature and religious symbolism,” says the author.
Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews
Gaudí's work enjoys global popularity and continuing admiration and study by architects. His masterpiece, the still-incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain. Barcelona would never be what it is without Gaudi.
Visiting Barcelona and the beautiful creations of Gaudi, I came across this book in a gift shop in Parc Guell. The more I walked around the streets of the Catalonian capital, the more impressed I was by Gaudi’s creations. I wanted to know more also about the man who created such unique architectural designs. This book is short and offers little information. Still, I know more after reading it. Like many great people, Gaudi was a simple man with a vision, as says the subtitle of the book. He knew what he wanted, he had the talent. Despite all the barriers that life itself put in his way and his poor health, he managed to create ad leave such majestic works.
Gaudí is usually considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works go beyond any one style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature. “For Gaudi, the theory of architecture was inseparable from the analysis of the laws of nature and religious symbolism,” says the author.
Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews
December 30, 2010
The life of Gaudí in Catalunia. I'm fascinated by Gaudí's art, but this book was actually quite boring!
February 3, 2014
A light reading—an introduction to the life of Antoni Gaudi.
April 9, 2021
This book had some interesting information about the famed architect, and I definitely learned things I did not know, but overall I did not find the book to be well written. Additionally, the physical layout of the book was odd. Pages of pictures interrupted sentences, and chapters were broken into small numbered sections that seemed unnecessary.
Also... something that bothered me. I’m sure the author did lots of research. There were a lot of obscure facts about small towns and family histories. I know nothing about Spanish history to question his claims. However, the one fact he mentioned offhand about US history was completely incorrect: Abraham Lincoln was most certainly not the first president of the US. At best, he was the first Republican president, but that is not stated in the sentence, “In the United States, Lincoln was a common surname, but it had been made charismatic by the country’s first president, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).” [I don’t know what it means to “be made charismatic,” but I just assumed this was a translation error.] If he left that erroneous fact out, which isn’t even meaningful to the overall history, I would not have reason to doubt the authenticity of his other statements, but it makes me mildly question the rest of his research.
Also... something that bothered me. I’m sure the author did lots of research. There were a lot of obscure facts about small towns and family histories. I know nothing about Spanish history to question his claims. However, the one fact he mentioned offhand about US history was completely incorrect: Abraham Lincoln was most certainly not the first president of the US. At best, he was the first Republican president, but that is not stated in the sentence, “In the United States, Lincoln was a common surname, but it had been made charismatic by the country’s first president, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).” [I don’t know what it means to “be made charismatic,” but I just assumed this was a translation error.] If he left that erroneous fact out, which isn’t even meaningful to the overall history, I would not have reason to doubt the authenticity of his other statements, but it makes me mildly question the rest of his research.
September 15, 2022
The book gives a good overview of the life of Gauí and the times he lived in. Connections between local and global events in the late 19th century as well as backgrounds of the people surrounding him, paint a picture to understand this extraordinary man and the forces that drove him.
The book comes with a good amount of pictures, both in colour and black and white. While the book is focusing on the life of the catalan architect, it does not explain the architecture itself. Keeping that in mind, it is a good read to understand the man, that Gaudí was.
The book comes with a good amount of pictures, both in colour and black and white. While the book is focusing on the life of the catalan architect, it does not explain the architecture itself. Keeping that in mind, it is a good read to understand the man, that Gaudí was.
April 29, 2018
Found this book in the gift store at La Sagrada Familia and just lived it! Short but very sweet. The subtitle, “Life of a Visionary” sums up the basic approach of the book. Who was this man who created such a unique architectural vision? “For Gaudi, the theory of architecture was inseparable from the analysis of the laws of nature and of religious symbolism.” Indeed. Greet noon!
July 6, 2020
It took me a while to read this tiny book. The book was thoroughly researched and I just found it boring in parts. I learned about his life and it is actually a sad story. After visiting Barcelona a few years back I picked this book up in the Sagrada Familia bookshop. I finally read it this year and I’m glad that I have finished it.
September 9, 2019
Informative on one hand, not so much on the other. The author implies that certain details are important, but doesn't explain how or why. I'm not sure if one of the photos in the book really represents Gaudi, because the shape of his nose is different.
April 11, 2020
What a delightful biography of Antoni Gaudi, an architect, a dreamer and complicated soul. After visiting Barcelona & La Sagrada Familia, I had to learn more about the man behind that amazing structure.
September 7, 2022
An interesting read with lots of historical context for the life and times in which Gaudi lived and designed his architectural works. A little too academic for my taste but fills in some personal and cultural blanks for true Gaudi enthusiasts.
April 16, 2024
Not the most extensive look at Gaudi but the author is very thorough and has an engaging prose style: “we can consider ourselves satisfied with these details and move on to other matters.” Indeed, J. Castellar-Gassol, indeed.
December 1, 2021
Quite a nice overview of the man and his life. Would have liked to learn a bit more about the actual work he did!
January 1, 2023
Interesting short read, read on way to Barcelona and feel I’ve learn a lot about Catalan history too.
April 8, 2024
Very informative about Gaudi's life and the culture/politics in Spain/Catalonia during that time but wish there was more detail about how he designed buildings
June 23, 2024
3.5 “From his brain spouted a fountain of imagination as dense and mysterious as any jungle, and he had the audacity of the true eccentric.”
July 28, 2024
Short, concise and a great introduction to the work and art of Gaudi.
September 23, 2024
A very brief biography of Antoni Gaudi. With some background introduction it is easier to understand the whole picture, but the stories of Antoni Gaudi is relatively few.
February 8, 2025
I really like gaudís architecture so I wanted to know more and I’m very happy I read this
September 18, 2022
I picked up this little biography of the great Catalan architect/artist from a gift shop in Parc Guell in Barcelona. The book is a succinct account of his life and art, done in an intelligent manner. The concrete manifestations of his brilliant imagination turned out to be as wonderful in reality as they were when we first saw them in photographs, and it is a proven fact that his technical skills were as extraordinary as his imagination was brilliant.
Unfortunately, it seems that a good part of Gaudi's life is a total mystery, and the author does a fair amount of speculation. Because of the tumultuous period in which Gaudi lived, much of the architect's life is unknown, which is a great shame. A humble genius, who lived in modesty, we can even say poverty, dedicating his life and art to God.
Gaudí's work was influenced by his great passions: architecture, nature and religion.
Gaudí's work enjoys popularity, admiration and continuous study by architects. His masterpiece, the still incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most visited monument in Spain and Barcelona would never be what it is without Gaudi. The more I walked the streets of the capital of Catalonia, the more I was impressed by Gaudi's creations. I also wanted to know more about the man who created such unique architectural projects.
Academically, Antoni Gaudí was not an eminent student, but he showed extraordinary creativity. He showed skill early in his career, working as an apprentice to various architects. He obtained the title of architect in 1878, an important year in his professional life, because then he began to realize projects such as the one intended for the "Obrera Mataronese" Cooperative Society, he became a lamppost in Plaça Reial in Barcelona, and Manuel Vicens asked him to design the house (Casa Vicens).
At the 1878 Paris World's Fair, Gaudí displayed a display case he produced for the glove manufacturer Comella. Its functional and aesthetic modernist design impressed the Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell, who then commissioned some of Gaudí's most remarkable works: the Güell Cellars, the Güell Pavilions, the Palau Güell (Güell Palace), Parc Güell, but also the crypt of the Colonia Güell church . Gaudí also became friends with the Marquis de Comillas, Count Güell's father-in-law, for whom he designed "El Capricho" in Comillas.
Gaudí is considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works transcend any style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature.
In 1883, Gaudí was named the principal architect for the project that would become known as the Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Gaudí completely changed the original design and imbued it with his own distinctive style. From 1915 until his death he devoted himself entirely to this project.
On June 7, 1926, Gaudí was making his daily walk to the church of Sant Felip Neri for his usual prayer and confession. While walking on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, between Girona and Bailén streets, he was hit by a tram and lost consciousness. Being mistaken for a drunken beggar, Gaudí did not receive immediate help. In the end, he was transported by taxi to Santa Creu Hospital, where he received rudimentary care, this being the hospital of the poor.
By the time the Sagrada Família cathedral chaplain, Mosén Gil Parés, recognized him the next day, Gaudí's condition had deteriorated and he could no longer benefit from further treatment. Gaudí died on June 10, 1926 at the age of 73 and was buried two days later. A large crowd gathered to bid him farewell as he was buried in the chapel inside the Sagrada Familia.
The book is short and gives little information here and the lower grade. Like many other great people, Gaudi was a simple man with a vision, as the subtitle of the book says. He knew what he wanted and had the talent to make his dream come true. Despite all the barriers that life itself put in his way and his poor health, he managed to create such majestic works.
Unfortunately, it seems that a good part of Gaudi's life is a total mystery, and the author does a fair amount of speculation. Because of the tumultuous period in which Gaudi lived, much of the architect's life is unknown, which is a great shame. A humble genius, who lived in modesty, we can even say poverty, dedicating his life and art to God.
Gaudí's work was influenced by his great passions: architecture, nature and religion.
Gaudí's work enjoys popularity, admiration and continuous study by architects. His masterpiece, the still incomplete Sagrada Família, is the most visited monument in Spain and Barcelona would never be what it is without Gaudi. The more I walked the streets of the capital of Catalonia, the more I was impressed by Gaudi's creations. I also wanted to know more about the man who created such unique architectural projects.
Academically, Antoni Gaudí was not an eminent student, but he showed extraordinary creativity. He showed skill early in his career, working as an apprentice to various architects. He obtained the title of architect in 1878, an important year in his professional life, because then he began to realize projects such as the one intended for the "Obrera Mataronese" Cooperative Society, he became a lamppost in Plaça Reial in Barcelona, and Manuel Vicens asked him to design the house (Casa Vicens).
At the 1878 Paris World's Fair, Gaudí displayed a display case he produced for the glove manufacturer Comella. Its functional and aesthetic modernist design impressed the Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell, who then commissioned some of Gaudí's most remarkable works: the Güell Cellars, the Güell Pavilions, the Palau Güell (Güell Palace), Parc Güell, but also the crypt of the Colonia Güell church . Gaudí also became friends with the Marquis de Comillas, Count Güell's father-in-law, for whom he designed "El Capricho" in Comillas.
Gaudí is considered the great master of Catalan Modernism, but his works transcend any style or classification. They are imaginative works that find their main inspiration in nature.
In 1883, Gaudí was named the principal architect for the project that would become known as the Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Gaudí completely changed the original design and imbued it with his own distinctive style. From 1915 until his death he devoted himself entirely to this project.
On June 7, 1926, Gaudí was making his daily walk to the church of Sant Felip Neri for his usual prayer and confession. While walking on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, between Girona and Bailén streets, he was hit by a tram and lost consciousness. Being mistaken for a drunken beggar, Gaudí did not receive immediate help. In the end, he was transported by taxi to Santa Creu Hospital, where he received rudimentary care, this being the hospital of the poor.
By the time the Sagrada Família cathedral chaplain, Mosén Gil Parés, recognized him the next day, Gaudí's condition had deteriorated and he could no longer benefit from further treatment. Gaudí died on June 10, 1926 at the age of 73 and was buried two days later. A large crowd gathered to bid him farewell as he was buried in the chapel inside the Sagrada Familia.
The book is short and gives little information here and the lower grade. Like many other great people, Gaudi was a simple man with a vision, as the subtitle of the book says. He knew what he wanted and had the talent to make his dream come true. Despite all the barriers that life itself put in his way and his poor health, he managed to create such majestic works.
December 1, 2012
A short read, somehow the book lags on why Antoni Gaudi was called a Visionary! Seven of his works are declared as World Heritage sites by UNESCO. There's rarely any mention of his design philosophy or ideology or inspiration in the book. I was ecstatic to read something about the master of Organic architecture and sculpture, but it has none! The book celebrates more details of his contacts with the powerful in the society and less of his involvement with the art! It could have been so much more!
August 4, 2016
Just quote here from Gaudi: "The fact that they have not been applied before and that I am the first to do so has made me think a lot. This would be the only thing that, in any case, would make me hesitate. Nevertheless, I believe that, convinced as I am of the perfection they represent, it is my duty to apply them." <3
August 4, 2015
While generally a gloss on Antoni Gaudi's life, this book does a wonderful job bringing him to life. It is full of first hand accounts, testimonies and anecdotes, which poignantly portray the struggles, triumphs and faith of an ingenious architect.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews