| Top Book Picks on Modern Architecture |
Here are some of our favorite books about modern architecture. One of our top picks is Julius Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered
which is a hefty three-book compilation about the most famous photographer of modern architecture, Julius Shulman. Each project and photograph in these volumes was personally
selected from over 260,000 photographs over a two-year period by
publisher Benedikt Taschen, who has enjoyed a close collaboration with the photographer since first publishing Julius Shulman: Architecture and Its Photography (1998). Augmenting the photographs are an introduction by photography critic Owen Edwards, an extensive biography by University of Southern California historian Philip J. Ethington, captions on decorative elements by Los Angeles Modern Auctions founder Peter Loughrey, biographies of key architects, and personal reflections from the photographer himself. Arts writer Hunter Drohojowska-Philp conducted months of interviews with Shulman to construct an informative and lively oral history and portrait of the times. Julius Shulman's photography was instrumental in crafting the image of
the midcentury Southern California lifestyle across the United States
and around the world. His work keenly identifies the distinctive
structural, functional, and design elements of a building, in the
context of both its natural surroundings and the people who occupy the
spaces. This sensitivity, combined with his intuitive and brilliant
sense of composition and timing, has earned him the reputation as a
master of the genre. How fortunate we are that Shulman has once again
opened his archives so that we may rediscover his photographs of the
world's hidden Modernist treasures.
Another interesting read is NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism. Many people think modernist architecture never flowered in California
north of the San Fernando Valley. NorCalMod dispels that notion in a
copiously illustrated history showcasing extraordinary examples of its
proud contribution to the Bay Area and environs. As a style, modernist
architecture was hotly debated in its day (why create modern structures
where such distinctive Victorian and Arts and Crafts buildings already
existed?) pulling heavyweights such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Lewis
Mumford, and Walter Gropius into the fray. Ultimately, that existing
"Bay Region Style" would remain the area's architectural hallmark, but
not before hundreds of important modernist projects, many still standing
yet unjustly neglected today, had been established. The remarkable
photos in this book open our eyes to a long-lost chapter in the history
of California architecture and make NorCalMod a volume to be enjoyed by
those interested in California history and style as well as by
architecture students and professionals.
Also included is the book 'Poolside with Slim Aarons' which covers the jetset life style of the 1950s and 1960s by Slim Aarons.
From the Caribbean to Italy and Mexico to Monaco, Poolside with Slim Aarons whisks the reader away to an exclusive club where taste, style, luxury, and grandeur prevail.
Some other masters of modern architecture:
- William Beckett
- Craig Ellwood
- Albert Frey
- Frank Gehry
- Bruce Goff
- Herb Greene
- Philip Johnson
- Louis I. Kahn
- Raymond Kappe
- Pierre Koenig
- John Lautner
- Paul László
- Le Corbusier
- Charles Luckman
- Oscar Niemeyer
- Richard J. Neutra
- William L. Pereira
- Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
- Raphael Soriano
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
- Welton Becket Associates
- Frank Lloyd Wright
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