Sagrada Familia Sculptor Sotoo Etsurō—A Half Century in the Service of Gaudí’s Open-Ended Masterpiece
This past June, a grand mass was held at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia to mark the centenary of Antoni Gaudí’s death and celebrate the completion of the basilica’s Tower of Jesus Christ. We spoke with Japanese sculptor Sotoo Etsurō, who has dedicated nearly a half century to Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece.
Sotoo Etsurō, the sculptor who has dedicated half a century to the unfinished masterpiece that is Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia, was born in Fukuoka in 1953 and earned a fine arts degree in sculpture from Kyoto City University of Arts. His journey began in 1978 when he quit his teaching job and embarked on a quest to immerse himself in Europe’s stonecutting and carving traditions, despite initially having no plans to make money overseas.
His path led him through Paris and Germany, where he eventually arrived at the construction site of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Not long after his arrival, Sotoo caught the attention of the site’s director, Isidre Puig Boada, who tasked him with carving 15 large angel statues for the Nativity Facade, a site that would later be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. In 2024, Sotoo was honored with the prestigious Ratzinger Prize by Pope Francis for his lifelong commitment to the project. Today, he stands virtually alone in having known Gaudí personally, having worked alongside his direct disciples even as the latter have passed away.
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