An Architecture of Imperfection
Essays by Alejandro de la Sota, Iñaki Abalos, William Curtis, Mohsen Mostafavi, José Manuel López-Peláez Photography: Etienne Clément

This publication traces Alejandro de la Sota's influence on Spain's contemporary culture of architecture through essays and a visual presentation of his most significant projects, including the Maravillas Gymnasium in Madrid and the Civil Government building in Tarragona.

Alejandro de la Sota was born in 1913, and so belongs to the same generation as Jørn Utzon, Denys Lasdun, Aldo van Eyck and José Maria Coderch. But it is only in recent years that his work has become known outside Spain. It is an oeuvre of impressive consistency, combining a naked abstraction with a rigorous interest in the character of materials. While Sota clearly drew many lessons from the modern masters - from Mies in particular - he also defined a language with an internal momentum of its own.