Jornal Do Brasilia - Barcelona basilica narrows down search for artist to design facade

The construction board said in a statement it had requested proposals from them to design the Facade of Glory on the church, which remains unfinished despite having been started in 1882 by famed architect Antoni Gaudi.

It also left open the possibility that more than one proposal be selected for the main facade, the only one on the building that remains to be completed and which will face the Mediterranean Sea.

The church says the design will represent a Christian narrative of human history from Adam and Eve to the final judgement as well as teachings from the life of Jesus.

Barcelo, 68, is one of Spain's most famous contemporary artists and was selected to design a tapestry for Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral as it emerged from the ashes of the catastrophic 2019 fire.

Iglesias, also 68, has represented Spain twice at the prestigious Venice Biennale. Her works include doors to an extension of the Madrid's renowned Prado art museum and the fountain in Leopold de Wael square in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

Born in 1962 in the state of Michoacan, Marin has created works in religious settings including the Sant'Agostino church in Pietrasanta, Italy, Havana's Saint Francis of Assisi Convent and the Cathedral-Basilica of Zacatecas in Mexico.

Work to complete Gaudi's masterpiece in Spain's second city has accelerated in recent years with its rise as a mass tourist destination.

Its completion is now expected within the next 10 years.

E. da Cruz--JDB