Gaudi of Barcelona
Since the late 1800s, Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí's (1852-1926) fanciful buildings have defined Barcelona's cityscape. His playful spires and towers, undulating tiled roofs, and writhing chimneys loom like Dr. Suess creatures atop commercial and apartment buildings alike, and his sculptures are an integral component of many of the city's parks and public spaces. As respected for his technical innovations as for his aesthetic boldness, Gaudí was able to achieve unique, organic, fluid--at times even bizarre--architectural forms that paralleled the stylistic development of art nouveau. The artist's greatest works are brought into dramatic relief against the background of the modern metropolis with 178 specially commissioned color photographs and 13 maps of Barcelona locating Gaudí's works and offering explanatory descriptions of the buildings.