Architecture's Odd Couple
Howard, Hugh
In architectural terms, the twentieth century can be largely summed up with two names: Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson. Wright (1867-1959) began it with his romantic prairie style; Johnson (1906-2005) brought down the curtain with his spare postmodernist experiments. Between them, they built some of the most admired and discussed buildings in American history. Differing radically in their views on architecture, Wright and Johnson shared a restless creativity, enormous charisma, and an outspokenness that made each man irresistible to the media. Often publicly at odds, they were the twentieth century's flint and steel; their repeated encounters consistently set off sparks. Yet as acclaimed historian Hugh Howard shows, their rivalry was also a fruitful artistic conversation, one that yielded new directions for both men. It was not despite but rather because of their contentious--and not always admiring--relationship that they were able so powerfully to influence history. In Architecture's Odd Couple, Howard deftly traces the historical threads connecting the two men and offers readers a distinct perspective on the era they so enlivened with their designs. Featuring many of the structures that defined modern space--from Fallingwater to the Guggenheim, from the Glass House to the Seagram Building--this book presents an arresting portrait of modern architecture's odd couple and how they shaped the American landscape by shaping each other"--
Check AvailabilityModern Retro Home
Grant, Jason.
Modern Retro Home is your key to unlocking the secrets behind a thoroughly contemporary home that takes inspiration from the past. Organized into chapters according to each room of your house, Jason Grant takes us inside homes that embrace aesthetics from the 60s, 70s, and other classic decades of design, and walks us through why the styling of each room works. Despite its adventure into the past, don't expect to find tired-looking rooms in this book – Jason's fresh and accessible style shines through every page in their bright, colorful photographs. No matter the size of their budget or living space, or whether their belongings are sourced from eBay or high-end vintage stores, the tips in this book are accessible to anyone interested in creating their own modern retro home.
Check AvailabilityThe Man In The Glass House
Lamster, Mark
An award-winning architectural critic and biographer presents an assessment of the life and enduring influence of high-profile American architect Philip Johnson, evaluating his introduction of European modernism and the controversial paradoxes that shaped his career.
Check AvailabilityThe Man In The Glass House
Lamster, Mark
When Philip Johnson died in 2005 at the age of 98, he was still one of the most recognizable-and influential-figures on the American cultural landscape. The first recipient of the Pritzker Prize and MoMA's founding architectural curator, Johnson made his mark as one of America's leading architects with his famous Glass House in New Caanan, CT, and his controversial AT & T Building in NYC, among many others in nearly every city in the country-but his most natural role was as a consummate power broker and shaper of public opinion. Johnson introduced European modernism-the sleek, glass-and-steel architecture that now dominates our cities-to America, and mentored generations of architects, designers, and artists to follow. He defined the era of "starchitecture" with its flamboyant buildings and celebrity designers who esteemed aesthetics and style above all other concerns. But Johnson was also a man of deep paradoxes: he was a Nazi sympathizer, a designer of synagogues, an enfant terrible into his old age, a populist, and a snob. His clients ranged from the Rockefellers to televangelists to Donald Trump. Award-winning architectural critic and biographer Mark Lamster's THE MAN IN THE GLASS HOUSE lifts the veil on Johnson's controversial and endlessly contradictory life to tell the story of a charming yet deeply flawed man. A rollercoaster tale of the perils of wealth, privilege, and ambition, this book probes the dynamics of American culture that made him so powerful, and tells the story of the built environment in modern America."--
Check AvailabilityMid-century Modern Architecture Travel Guide
Lubell, Sam
A curated list of more than 250 must-see destinations organized geographically from Maine to Florida. Featuring architecture by some of the biggest Mid-Century names, including Mies van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, and Philip Johnson, each of the more than 250 buildings is located on a regional map. The book includes all the additional information needed to find and visit each building.0Its cool and functional design makes this book a coveted Modernist-style object in itself.0Including icons from The Met Breuer to the fabulous beach houses of Fire Island, private homes in Connecticut, Manhattan skyscrapers, and the Tropical Modern residences of Sarasota, Florida, it is a must-have guide to one of the most fertile and lesser-known regions for the development of Mid-Century Modern architecture.
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