The Sagrada Familia: The Astonishing Story of Gaudí’s Unfinished Masterpiece

Here is a scholarly book that, thankfully, is very readable, as author Gijs Van Hensbergen is a wonderful writer. Sagrada Família is an extensive volume that includes a multitude of subjects connected with Spain but particularly the life and work of the architect Antoni Gaudí and his many creations in Spain. Gaudí’s most significant work is enormous, intricate, and expensive–an unfinished cathedral in Barcelona. And this architectural marvel is also the focus of Hensbergen’s extensive research. Any reader opening this volume immediately notes a significant and inexcusable omission—no illustrations. The only photo is on the dustcover, so the interested reader needs to rely on the Internet for visuals. Architecture is a visual art, and anything written on the subject is expected to be profusely illustrated. Even though Hensbergen’s writing is enjoyable, the details he gives in this volume are overwhelming: politics, economics, Spanish art and science, Spanish artists and their relationships to the Sagrada Família, and critics’ views in great detail will overwhelm most readers, no matter how interested in the subject. This is unfortunate as the subject is fascinating: a monumental cathedral that started in 1882 whose construction continues to this date (expected to be completed in 2026).