Gropius

Taschen Basic Architecture

by Gilbert Lupfer, Paul Sigel

Born and educated in Germany, Walter Gropius (1883-1969) belongs to the select group of architects that massively influenced the international development of modern architecture. As the founding director of the Bauhaus, Gropius made inestimable contributions to his field, to the point that knowing his work is crucial to understanding Modernism. His early buildings, such Fagus Boot-Last Factory and the Bauhaus Building in Dessau, with their use of glass and industrial features, are still indispensable points of reference. After his emigration to the United States, he influenced the education of architects there and became, along with Mies van der Rohe, a leading proponent of the international Style.

Genres: Architecture, Design, Art

96 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Topaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thin and compact overview of Gropius’ architecture and in that respect it accomplishes its goal.

For someone who knows nothing about Gropius, this is a good primer that hopefully will lead the reader to further reading of the myriad other more in-depth and well-researched books on Gropius.

The book covers some of the most significant buildings he designed, and is loaded with many color photos and drawings. The text is pretty basic and general and the whole book can be read in 1 sitting.

I would recommend this for a teenager or student who is interested in design and architecture with no prior education on the topic. There are also many more books like this in the Taschen series that cover almost every major artist, designer, and architect. This whole series is great in that it can expose readers to entire new topics and get them excited about learning more about them.

If you are looking for an in-depth monologue or scholarly volume about Gropius, this is not it, but there are many other interesting books about him.

You can see photos of the actual book on my Amazon review

[Bert Huisman]

25 addall

[Alberto Segovia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information for getting to know the ideas and philosophy and works of this architect. Comprehensive list of projects that shows the architect in a concise and integral way.