Barcelona, February 24^th 2005. - Everybody knows and admires the works of Antoni Gaudí, but only a few people can contribute facts about his life and way of being. The book “Gaudí's thoughts”, which has just been reissued, presents a very valuable testimony to understand the architect's most human side as well as the philosophy which determined his work. The presentation of the book took place last Wednesday February 23 rd at the City Hall of the district of Gràcia in Barcelona.

Eduard Solé, president of the association Gaudí & Barcelona Club www.gaudiclub.com, emphasised in his intervention the unquestionable contribution of the work which not only compiles Gaudí's quotations but also puts them in order by themes and unveils as well the great architect as the sensible man he used to be. “Personally, I think this book is the bible for all Gaudinists and I'm delighted it is presented during the Year of the Book, as a manuscript such as deserves this honour”, Solé said. He added that from a human point of view, it's like going back to the work of Gaudí, as the architect is his work himself”.

Ricard Martínez, governor of the district of Gràcia, explained the importance of Modernism on the district's architecture and recommended to read this work in order to have a global understanding of Gaudí's thoughts.

Josep Maria Vall, editor of the book, put emphasis on the more formal aspects of the edition and affirmed that it's the most fundamental text to study the life and architecture of Gaudí. He also praised the graphical part, as well the old images - among which some are even unedited - as the present images. The Spanish version of this book is almost finished and will be translated into English later.

“I'm not a man of Arts but a man of Works”

The few documents Gaudí left us are juvenile appointments about architecture and ornamentation. However, as an already devoted architect, he expressed his artistic ideas in the numerous conversations he had with his disciples and collaborators. He usually expressed himself in spoken language; his style was direct, colloquial and very different from the typical language used at lectures. Puig-Boada puts Gaudí's verbal documentation in order under the epigraphs of a large subject matter and transforms the work in an authentic “Gaudinist gospel”. Besides the architectonic considerations, the reader also discovers the architect's interest in social, historical, political and religious matters.

About the author, Isidro Puig-Boada

Born in Barcelona in 1890, Isidre Puig Boada belonged to the small and select group of architects that were connected to Antoni Gaudí and collaborated on his works through the years and different stages of his life. He met Gaudí in 1914, when he was still a student, and this would mark his life. When Gaudí died in 1926, he worked on the Sagrada Familia under the command of Domènech Sugrañes. Later, in 1950, Puig Boada was assigned director of the works of the Temple . In 1929 he published “El temple de la Sagrada Família”, and in 1976 “L'església de la Colònia Güell”. In 1981, when he was 90 years old, he presented “Gaudí's thoughts”. Several articles about the Gaudinist work complete his bibliography.

At the beginning of the seventies, when he became the diocesan architect of the Diocese of Urgell, he had the opportunity to build a dozen of small churches where he could use in a very personal way the shapes of the regulated geometry originated by Gaudí.

Isidre Puig Boada died in Barcelona in 1987, just when the city started to rediscover the magnificent architectonic legacy of his master.

About the association “Gaudí & Barcelona Internet Club”

The Gaudí & Barcelona Internet Club is a non-profit entity created to divulgate the life and work of Antoni Gaudí through Internet. The starting point of this association was the creation, in 1997, of the Club under the web page www.gaudiclub.com , to which the more than 14.900 present members, of all nationalities, have joined free of charge and are permanently informed of all concerning with Gaudí. The web page of the Gaudí & Barcelona Club is the most complete existing about the architect. It has also an on-line shop, where you can purchase every sort of product related with the gaudinian aestethics, and a lively forum. The Club is in touch with a great deal of art Gaudí passionates and collaborates with universities, art centres, institutions, libraries and cultural associacions of differents countries. If you need something you only have to contact with www.gaudiclub.com

For more information:
Gaudí & Barcelona Club
Press Department
Tel. +34 93 415 25 66
e-mail: press@gaudiclub.com
www.gaudiclub.com