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Books on Museums and monuments

Languages:
- Español;Inglés
Flipbook Edition
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao flipbook
A work by architect Frank O. Gehry

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€6.00
(1)
Flipbook Edition
The City of Arts and Sciences flipbook
A work by architect Calatrava

€6.00
Flipbook Edition
Güell Palace flipbook
One of Gaudí’s first works

€6.00
Flipbook Edition
The Olympic Ring Flipbook
Barcelona 92

€6.00
(1)
Languages:
- Español;Inglés
Flipbook Edition
Monument to Columbus flipbook
A symbol of Barcelona

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€6.00
Flipbook Edition
Palau de la Música flipbook
Lluís Domènech i Montaner

€6.00
Languages:
- Español;Inglés
Flipbook Edition
Park Güell flipbook
The dragon

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€6.00
Visual Edition
Monasterio de piedra
800 years of art, architecture and nature

€14.96

Books on museums and monuments

Museums and monuments constitute one of the most important sources of wealth of society. Thanks to them, a greater knowledge can be obtained about the past, and their presence contributes in a decisive way to highlight the cultural identity of the territory in which they are found.

The books on museums and monuments published by Dosde allow the reader to discover works that are admired throughout the world, both for their aesthetic and technical value as well as their historical and symbolic significance. Their pages provide a greater comprehension of an exceptional cultural heritage, as varied as it is extensive, in which some of history's most significant stylistic trends are explored.

A unique legacy

Just as Dosde's books explain, Spain boasts some of the most well known architecture and museum sites in the world, evidence of the long drawn out history of a country which various civilizations have passed through. In fact, it can be included amongst the countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage sites, an evident sign of its cultural relevance.

From Prehistory to the Roman era

Amongst the oldest monuments in Spain are important displays from prehistoric times, such as the Altamira or Tito Bustillo caves –where priceless collections of cave paintings are conserved– and the different megalithic constructions erected on the Isle of Menorca.

Celtic and Iberian villages left their mark with the discovery of important remains, while the arrival of the Romans materialised in a series of exceptional works which, in many cases, managed to withstand the passing of time and still remain today, as can be seen in cities such as Mérida, Tarragona, Lugo and Segovia.

The Middle Ages

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Iberian Peninsula stayed under Visigoth control, a period that lasted until the eighth century, when practically all the territory was taken over by Muslim troops from North Africa. The cultural and artistic wealth of Muslim Spain was reflected by exquisitely designed architectonic ensembles such as Cordova's mosque and, in particular, the Alhambra in Granada, the palatine city that functioned as the Nasrid kingdom's headquarters, analysed in several of the books on museums and monuments published by Dosde, available in Visual Edition format and Photo format as well as Deluxe Edition.

In the peninsular territory under Christian rule, art and architecture first adopted the features typical of the Romanesque, as is evident in monuments such as Santiago Cathedral and the numerous temples and monasteries on the Santiago pilgrimage route, but with the passing of time the Gothic style took hold, whose characteristics embellished cathedrals such as those in León, Burgos, Toledo and Seville, amongst others.

Likewise, the close contact between Muslims and Christians gave rise to Mudejar art, an exclusively Hispanic style that was used both in the religious world as well as the civil. One of the best displays of this trend is the Palace of King Peter I in the Royal Alcazar of Seville, whose details can also be discovered in our books.

The Renaissance

The hatching of the Renaissance coincided in Spain with diverse transcendental historical events, such as the union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon after the marriage of the Catholic Kings, the end of the Reconquest and the discovery of America. The country became the first world power, and prosperity led to a boom in artistic and architectural activity.

In the field of painting, artists such as El Greco stood out, whose works illustrated numerous books while in the architectural world there was an evolution from the plateresque style, present in monuments such as the City of Seville and the University of Salamanca, until the full Renaissance, identified with the Palace of Charles V of the Alhambra, to culminate in the Herrerian style, whose greatest exponent is the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Baroque

Identified with the values of the Catholic Counter-Reformation (the spiritual movement that arose in response to the Protestant Reformation), the Spanish Baroque was a particularly fertile period in the art world. During this period great masters emerged such as Diego Velázquez, José de Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and numerous town development and architectonic projects were promoted based on a style that stood out for its decorative wealth and formal exuberance.

The main centres of diffusion for the Baroque were Madrid and Seville, as explained in Dosde's books on museums and monuments, although the new style also made quite an impact in places such Santiago de Compostela, whose historical quarter, just like the cathedral, blended in perfectly with the essential features of this artistic movement.

19^th century

19^th century Spain was marked by political instability, but also by the effects of the Industrial Revolution. At this time, the major cities demolished their medieval city walls and expanded in an orderly way to accommodate those migrants from the countryside that wanted to work in the new factories.

During this period of great change, numerous artists and intellectuals underlined the importance of the country's cultural heritage. Official entities started to be concerned about restoring monuments and they created institutions such as the Prado Museum, while architects were in charge of studying and disseminating past styles such as the Romanesque, Gothic and Mudejar.

Towards the end of the century, Modernisme emerged, a Catalan movement that combined materials from the industrial era with craftsmanship to create beautiful creations in all fields of life. The books on museums and monuments by Dosde go into the peculiarities of this trend, whose impact was widely felt in Barcelona, the city where the main references of Modernisme were based, such as Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Josep Puig i Cadafalch and, above all, Antoni Gaudí, the creator of the Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, amongst other architectural masterpieces.

Modern era

In the first half of the 20^th century, the appearance of the artistic avant-gardes completely renewed the cultural scene. Movements such as Surrealism, Cubism and Expressionism, among others, questioned the canons prevailing until then in the West, opening a new horizon of creative possibilities.

The legacy of the artistic avant-gardes would be integrated into the collections of the various museums created in Spain between the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Among the most prominent are those that, along with the Museo del Prado, make up the so-called Triángulo del Arte de Madrid: the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, considered the centre of contemporary art of reference in Spain, and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, whose collection totals around a thousand works from different periods. Barcelona is also home to internationally renowned museums, such as the Picasso Museum, which is focused on the training period of the Cubist painter, and the Fundación Joan Miró, which allows its visitors to explore the entire trajectory of one of the great figures of contemporary painting.

Likewise, in Bilbao there is one of the most visited museums in Spain: the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Inaugurated in 1997, this contemporary art centre was designed by the North American architect Frank O. Gehry, and it has transcended its function as museum to become one of the symbols of the country's modernisation.

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Books on Museums and monuments

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao flipbook

The City of Arts and Sciences flipbook

Güell Palace flipbook

The Olympic Ring Flipbook

Monument to Columbus flipbook

Palau de la Música flipbook

Park Güell flipbook

Monasterio de piedra