Master Architect's First Work - Genealogy, Characters and Space

Author: (American) Bj?rn S?derberg, edited by Beijing Century English Translation Co., Ltd.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: This book presents a series of distinctive debut works by renowned architectural masters, these designs by a group of famous Harvard graduates after the 1930s—many of which have never been published before. It includes several highly influential figures, such as Edward Larraby Barnes, Ulrich Franzen, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, I.M. Pei, and Paul Rudolph. This research not only showcases what these later-famous American architects learned from their exiled Bauhaus teachers—Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer—but also demonstrates the development of their personal artistic imagination. Each building introduced in the book is accompanied by detailed background information about its design and construction. Additionally, works by American painters such as Calder, Pollock, Matsumoto, and Kline are included, whose works symbolize and inspire design in that era. Furthermore, the book explores furniture designed for and adopted by many buildings, including the well-known works of the Eames and the forgotten Lambrum wire chairs.
The book also revisits several key figures in the publication of these modern homes: photographer Ezra Stoller, writer Peter Blake, and historian Vincent Scully. They also tried their hand at home design, owning their own "masterpiece homes." The research in this book is extensive and in-depth, not only including unpublished works but also featuring unique, emotionally charged stories that vividly recreate these designers and their time.
In 1937, the two pioneers of the renowned German modern design school, the Bauhaus—Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius—fled their politically turbulent homeland for the shores of America. This migration had a profound impact on American architecture. The two emigrated architects began their new careers teaching at Harvard University, directly influencing their students, who later became some of the most influential American architects of their time. This book studies and analyzes the early residential works of some later-famous Harvard architecture students during the 1930s to 1950s. They are: Edward Larraby Barnes, Ulrich Franzen, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Elliot Noyes, I.M. Pei, and Paul Rudolph.
Beyond showcasing the specific conditions of these homes, the book also includes critical essays and interviews with relevant figures, offering readers a unique perspective on this significant moment in architectural history—the intersection of European modern idealism and American cultural pragmatism. This book presents a series of distinctive debut works by renowned architectural masters, these designs by a group of famous Harvard graduates after the 1930s—many of which have never been published before. The research in this book is extensive and in-depth, not only including unpublished works but also featuring unique, emotionally charged stories that vividly recreate these designers and their time.