Japan discovers world of Gaudí and Sagrada Família thanks to traveling exhibition

A traveling exhibition on the world of famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the mastermind behind Barcelona's Sagrada Família Basilica, will open in Tokyo's National Museum of Modern Art on Tuesday, where it will remain until September 10.

The retrospective, organized by both the Sagrada Família Foundation and public Japanese broadcaster NHK, will then make its way to the Sagawa Art Museum in Moriyama (from September 30 to December 3) and the Nagoya City Art Museum (from December 19 to March 10).

The exhibition includes historic pieces that contextualize the artist's body of work, placing a special emphasis on the unfinished basilica.

Graphic and audiovisual material, some of which belongs to NHK and has never been seen before, will be on display, allowing visitors to see how the Sagrada Família has evolved over time.

61 items are on loan from the Sagrada Família Foundation, including original plaster sculptures of a young woman and Christ's torso that were used as models for the basilica's Nativity facade.

Filling the Sink podcast

The Sagrada Família is an icon of Barcelona. Tourists flock to Antoni Gaudí's basilica in the millions every year, but not everyone in Barcelona is that enamored with it.

Press play below to listen to our December 2021 podcast episode and discover the symbolism and hidden meaning behind the facade as well as why plans to build a stairway threaten the eviction of up to 3,000 people.