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Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered, 3 Vol.
The Master of More discoveries from the Julius Shulman vaults TASCHEN’s Modernism Rediscovered (2000) brought to light for the first time forgotten architectural masterpieces , drawn from photographer Julius Shulman’s personal archives. Paying tribute to residential and commercial buildings that had slipped from public view, Shulman`s stunning photographs uncovered a rarely seen side of California Modernism. This extensive, three-volume follow-up to that remarkable volume brings over 400 more architectural gems into the spotlight. Not just restricted to the West Coast this time, the images were taken all across the United States as well as in Mexico, Israel, and Hong Kong.
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 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.
Featured Architects and Text in English, French, and German
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 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.
Featured Architects and Text in English, French, and German
1160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 15, 2024
This is a large 3-volume set of Julius Shulman’s less famous and mostly previously unpublished photos. This is NOT a monograph or compilation of his most famous photos. The book is laid out chronologically and each project/building is given about 2 pages. The text is very brief and limited so the emphasis is on the photos. About half are black and white and half are color. There are some very nice full page photos and 2-page spreads as well.
What’s nice is you get to see the not so famous photos of not so famous buildings and many of them are very interesting, but it also makes you appreciate how great Shulman’s famous iconic photos really are.
My main gripes are minor. I was hoping here would be more accompanying text. Each building usually has a small quote direct from Shulman about that particular project/shoot which is nice but it would be nice to have more info. The books are trilingual so that is probably a factor too. The other issue is some of the photos are very small. Ok many cases there is one large and one small photo on a page and the smaller one is usually not very useful.
Overall a great reference book that will likely lead you to investigate various architects and structures to learn more. This book is also available in a smaller size but I highly recommend getting this one in the 3 volume set with slipcase. There are many in the used market and also the new ones do go on sale from time to time at Taschen and Amazon.
What’s nice is you get to see the not so famous photos of not so famous buildings and many of them are very interesting, but it also makes you appreciate how great Shulman’s famous iconic photos really are.
My main gripes are minor. I was hoping here would be more accompanying text. Each building usually has a small quote direct from Shulman about that particular project/shoot which is nice but it would be nice to have more info. The books are trilingual so that is probably a factor too. The other issue is some of the photos are very small. Ok many cases there is one large and one small photo on a page and the smaller one is usually not very useful.
Overall a great reference book that will likely lead you to investigate various architects and structures to learn more. This book is also available in a smaller size but I highly recommend getting this one in the 3 volume set with slipcase. There are many in the used market and also the new ones do go on sale from time to time at Taschen and Amazon.
January 30, 2017
Beautiful architectural photos from the lost age of postwar American--- usually Southern Californian ---Modernism. Shulman's photos caught Los Angeles and its environs just at the moment of maximum belief in the future and its possibilities. This set--- three folio-sized volumes ---is an awkward beast to carry anywhere, but a beautiful collection to page through and admire.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews