An ex-libris, also called bookplate, is a kind of printed stamp at the beginning or end of a book that says who owns it (think of the stamp you surely have seen in the books owned by a library). Though ex-libris have been used since ancient times, their "golden age" in Catalonia was during the Modernist movement (the Catalan equivalent of Art Nouveau), where many bookworm people commissioned artists to have a beautiful personal ex-libris that they could use to stamp all their collection.

On 20 February 2026 the Sagrada Família’s central tower reached its full height at 172.5 m and thus surpassed the Ulm Minster by over 10 m. After 144 years Antoni Gaudí’s masterwork is finally nearing completion and concludes a project that the architect only saw through to one fourth. It is somewhat ironic that Gaudí’s magnum opus is a church since he was very critical of the church when he was a young man and led a bohemian life. Gaudí even died in his way to the construction site when on 7 June 1926 he was hit by a tram. But due to his shabby clothing passersby mistook him for a beggar and didn’t help him right away. Three days later he died in the Santa Creu Hospital.

Today, seven of his buildings are UNESCO World Heritage sites and, of course, include the Sagrada Família but also Casa Vicens, his first house in Barcelona, the Park Güell and the famous Casa Battló. A great way to acquaint oneself with Gaudí’s work is Rainer Zerbst’s volume „Gaudí - The Complete Works“, since 1988 published in numerous editions and sizes by Taschen. The present one is from 2013 and contains a wealth of historic and current photographs, drawings and plans that comprehensively document Gaudí’s unique architectural language. Influenced by late 19th century Orientalism, the forms of nature and the possibilities of new materials like concrete, Gaudí developed a singular Modernista (the Catalan art nouveau) aesthetic. 

What Zerbst also highlights is Gaudí’s Gesamtkunstwerk approach to his buildings that inventively amalgamates exterior and interior, decor and furniture. The details of each project are further documented in a comprehensive appendix that supplements the visual overabundance of the volume.

The sunlit forest

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, Barcelona (Spain).