Neutra

by Barbara Lamprecht

Landmarks: An impeccable blend of building and environment. In the architecture of Richard Neutra (1892-1970), inside and outside find their perfect modernist harmony. As the Californian sun glints off sleek building surfaces, vast glass panel walls allow panoramic views over mountains, gardens, palm trees, and pools.

Neutra moved to the United States from his native Vienna in 1923 and settled in Los Angeles. He displayed his affinity with architectural settings early on with the Lovell House, set on a landscaped hill with views of the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Mountains. Later projects such as the Kaufmann House and Nesbitt House would continue this blend of art, landscape, and living comfort, with Neutra's clients often receiving detailed questionnaires to define their precise needs.

This richly illustrated architect introduction presents the defining projects of Neutra's career. As crisp structures nestle amid natural wonders, we celebrate a particularly holistic brand of modernism which incorporated the ragged lines and changing colors of nature as much as the pared down geometries of the International Style.

Genres: Architecture, Design, Art

96 pages, Hardcover

Published January 15, 2016

Reviews

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A number of projects by a single architect are examined in this book.

Some of the buildings and views (locations) were stunning. The text was reasonable.

Reading time approximately one hour.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Neutra hat viele witzige Sachen geplant und gebaut. Einiges wird hier mit Plänen und Fotos präsentiert. Lamprecht kennt sich sehr gut aus. Als grösster Minuspunkt sind die Pläne zu erwähnen, die überhaupt nicht beschriftet sind, womit man meist nur raten kann, wie gross das Haus wirklich ist, und welcher Raum sich wo befindet. Für den Preis jedoch ist es ein sehr nettes Buch.

[David Fulmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about the prominent Mid-Century Modern architect Richard Neutra. It’s got a little biographical information, chapters on about two dozen of his projects, and wraps up with a timeline of his life and a map of the projects. Most of the buildings here are homes in Southern California, and Neutra designed some classic homes in the International Style. Associated with the famous Case Study Houses of the post-WWII era, his buildings have flat roofs, floor to ceiling windows, spider leg support columns, and lots of white walls and right angles. The book is very well illustrated and doesn’t stick to any project for longer than 6 pages. It really just barely scratches the surface and will leaving you salivating for more.

[Trevor O'Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good brief introduction into Neutra's work. I appreciated how passionate the writing was for each of the included buildings but I wish there was more available to study for each building. The inclusion of plans for (almost) all of them was great but adding some furniture to them would have been helpful. On the other hand, this is really just a small intro monograph and it does that job very well.