Architecture in the Twentieth Century

by Peter Gossel

TASCHEN is not too busy outdoing the competition to outdo itself. The proof is in this new, revised edition of 20th Century Architecture. What was already the leading publication of its kind is now back with a vengeance. Coverage up until 2000, more color photos, more architect biographies, new chapters on deconstructivism and the new living architecture... it all adds up to the best review of 20th century architecture you could hope for.

From Frank Lloyd Wright to Gaudi to Frank O. Gehry to Shigeru Ban and everything in between, it's all here. The chronologically organized chapters put it all into perspective, illustrated by hundreds of large format photos as well as a plenitude drawings and floor plans. The biographical appendix covers all of the century's greatest architects, including today's new talents. An indispensable reference work and an absolute must for all lovers of architecture!

Genres: Architecture, Art, Nonfiction, Design, Coffee Table Books, Art History, Lifestyle

432 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Jubilee · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most inaccessible and pretentious textbook I've ever encountered. As far as I can tell, entirely composed by/for/about white men. Seemingly designed specifically for people who want to mansplain architecture to me at parties.

[Kristian-Alberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected too much of this book. I guess many Taschen book are of such quality that when they are not, one is surprised. The book is neither a systematic or historical introduction/presentation of architecture in the 20th century. Rather it is simply the associations and mussings of the authors over the architecture of the period. They write a number of interesting points and highlights a world of important buildings which are shown beautifully in the book. However, the authors never define their concepts and terms. They never present the reader with clear principles, -ism or schools of thought. Its just the author's (interesting) mussings. The book is more of an inspirational book for people in the know. Not a way to open the world of 20th architecture to ordinary people.

[A K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a great architecture resource for focusing on any specific era between the late 1700s to early 2000s! It’s a book you can skim through to look at fun buildings or read more in depth on specific architectures or eras. It’s also HUGE and very heavy, so it looks super impressive, mwahahaha…

[Abigail Cliche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The further I got into it, the more it read like a runway trend report article in Vogue. It was ok. I was looking for something more chronologically organized and academic, but that's not the fault of the book.

[Massimiliano Scordamaglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione completa qui:
http://ultimavisione.wordpress.com/20...

[Wsclai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pictures.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply dazzling coffee table book filled with glossy photographs on every page. Peter Gossel and Gabriele Leuthauser chronicle the development of twentieth century architecture. Backing up to the year 1773 to show how the industrial age prepared the world for twentieth century modernism, the authors take readers through every year from the production of iron to the production of iron structure buildings, such as the birth of sky scrapers.

Much of architecture's artistic sensiblity accompanied the art world arm in arm down the years. Skyscrapers were Art Deco in the turn of the century until the Depression stripped people of frivolity. The misery of reality was averted through fantasy and in the thirties we see houses and businesses reflecting man's hope in science. Many structures developed then looked like Spaceships out of a pulpy Sci Fi magazine. The Second World War produced edifices that were meant to express power. Albert Speer buildings in Germany hearkened back to the Ancient Roman temples.

After the War, architects became minimalist, striving for homes and offices that offered clean, clear space without clutter, but wrap around glass, which allowed the resident's view to be filled with the surrounding landscape.

Rationality and reason were expressed through materials of concrete and steel. As the sixties, seventies and eighties marched down through the corridors of time, architects combined the rationality of the early half of the century with experimentation and creativity. Some of the buildings are so curvaceous it's amazing they are made out of concrete.

There were many architects I was unfamiliar with, yet their work was no less profound. Japanese architect Tadao Ando seamlessly interwove traditional Japanese form with modern materials. His influence on Frank Lloyd Wright is unmistakable.

And of course we get to read about the more famous ones such as Louis Kahn, Philip Johnson, Louis Sullivan and Le Corbusier, with no shortage of photos of their work.

If you are a layperson, like me, who enjoys a good overview of modern architecture, I recommend this book.