Antonio Gaudí: Master Architect (Tiny Folio, 16)

Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926) is one of the best-known architects of the 20th century. Even today, some 75 years after Gaudí's death, his playful, exuberant buildings continue to influence architects, sculptors, and designers. Perhaps most identified with the dynamic, sculptural facades found on his structures, Gaudí is respected as much for his technological innovations as for his daring style.

In this enlightening, portable volume, a concise, knowledgeable text by the director of the Càtedra Gaudí at the University of Barcelona is brilliantly illustrated with 200 images by a gifted architectural photographer to provide a new perspective on Gaudí's remarkable career. The author traces all the influences that led to the architect's definitive style, from his fascination with the Orient and Neogothicism to his love of naturalism and geometric forms. Here is the full range of his oeuvre, from the innovative residences for the Güell family to his unfinished masterpiece, the Church of the Sagrada Familia, which occupied him until his death. This handsome overview of Gaudí's visionary work is ideal for those who delight in his architecture, as well as those who look forward to traveling to Spain to see his monumental legacy.