Among the visionaries who steered the course of modern architecture, Antoni Gaudi i Cornet (1852–1926) is perhaps the most difficult to fit within any school or movement. His architecture offers a breathtaking visual experience, thanks to his extraordinary designs—inspired by shapes in nature—and use of stonework and color. His career and reputation were inextricably linked to Barcelona, Spain’s center of cultural and social reform at the turn of the 20th century. In this illustrated program, Philip Jacks traces the inspiration behind Gaudi’s architectural language and his experimentation, which pushed the structural limits of architecture.

6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Barcelona’s Renewal

The Ramblas and Passeig de Gracia were the brilliant creation of Gaudi and his contemporaries for the new urban elite.

8 to 9 p.m. Church of the Sagrada Familia

Gaudi’s masterpiece, the blending of Christological and organic forms marks it as one of the most distinctive monuments of 20th-century architecture.

Jacks is an associate professor of art at George Washington University.

CODE: 1H0-554