Product Description

This condensed edition of Louis I. Kahn: In the Realm of Architecture is a definitive and richly illustrated volume that presents the oeuvre of one of this century's most influential practitioners, teachers, and thinkers in architecture. Here is the detailed account of the architecture and philosophy of Louis Kahn, whose buildings have become the very signature of the modernist aesthetic and whose vision permanently changed the direction of American architecture.

Kahn's career is documented here with meticulous attention to all aspects of his work-- from his own fascinating biography to the unique philosophy that underlies his buildings to the structures themselves. The stunning range of Kahn's architectural vision becomes fully apparent: his structures are at once solemn and resonant, elemental and musical. Extraordinary, exclusively commissioned color photographs of his masterworks-- the Yale Center for British Art, the National Assembly complex at Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Indian Institute of Management, the Salk Institute-- exquisitely demonstrate how Kahn's architecture wholly reinvents space and light. In all, more than two hundred illustrations, including numerous drawings and floor plans, accompany the painstakingly researched text.

This volume-- published in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and with the exclusive participation of the Louis I. Kahn Collection-- contains six principal essays that critically address different dimensions and periods of Kahn's architecture. The essays and photography are accompanied by succinct notes and captions, as well as a complete list of buildings and projects and an index, making this book the preeminent scholarly and illustrative source for Kahn's architecture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1121194 in Books
• Published on: 1997-10-15
• Released on: 1997-10-15
• Format: Abridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Architect Louis Kahn discovered late in life how to transform the ruins of ancient Rome into modern buildings. His pursuit of an ideal geometric order was informed by a keen sense of history. Based on platonic shapes, his buildings, at once monumental and human in scale, marked the end of the international style and opened the way for a revival of vernacular and classical traditions. These themes are documented in a lavishly illustrated retrospective survey which accompanies a traveling exhibition. Brownlee, associate professor of art history, and DeLong, professor of architecture, both at the University of Pennsylvania, track Kahn's prodigious career in intimate essays followed by a 160-page pictorial section analyzing 14 key projects. Simultaneously Rizzoli is also publishing Louis I. Kahn: Writings, Lectures, Interviews , edited by Alessandra Latour, which includes Kahn's essays, philosophical meditations and free-verse poems, and The Paintings and Sketches of Louis I. Kahn , by Jan Hochstim (see review above).
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This official catalog of a traveling exhibition organized by the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art represents an extraordinary collaborative effort: in addition to a brief introduction by Kahn enthusiast Vincent Scully, it contains six well-researched and lucidly written essays that begin with Kahn's formative years and conclude with his designs for the Yale Center for British Art. Also included is a complete listing of Kahn's buildings and projects from 1925 to 1974; an annotated bibliography; and a handsome, specially commissioned photo portfolio of Kahn's best-known works. An indispensable reference for anyone interested in contemporary American architecture. See also Louis I. Kahn: Writings, Lectures, Interviews, reviewed on p.124.--Ed.
- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Svce., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
David B. Brownlee is professor of the history of art, University of Pennsylvania. David G. De Long is professor of architecture, University of Pennsylvania. Vincent Scully is Sterling Professor emeritus of the history of art at Yale University. Julia Moore Converse is the director of the Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania.

New photography by Grant Mudford.

Customer Reviews

A great overview of Kahn's career.
A beautiful book...It's filled with so much information about Kahn's major projects. Interesting, well-written text and dozens of sketches and model photos accompany each major project. I'd never heard of Grant Mudford, but his big, color photos are beautiful. There's a list of all of Kahn's projects and buildings from the 1920s until his death in 1974, and a section of Kahn's travel sketches and artwork. The pages are large, the print quality is impressive, and the impeccable graphic design, by Massimo Vignelli with Abigail Sturges, suits Kahn's style perfectly. And it's a good buy, too.

Encounter all Kahn's master pieces.
In one book, you can see through Kahn's famous works, like Salk Institute of Biography Reaserch and Yale Center for British Art. Nice photos and descriptions. This book can be the beginning step for approaching Kahn's philosophy of architecture. He say, "Existence will determines the every nature of things". He used the simple forms to establish a fine-art-class architecture style. Kahn's works could be said as "Simple in FORM, but not simple in MIND."

updated: (2009-1-2)
I realized I didn't know Kahn much 8 years ago. Form is the final expression of a building. True. But Kahn's buildings shouldn't be read as just FORM or Style. Pictures of modern buildings are always misleading. Not many modern buildings today are pretty in real, when seeing by real eyes. Kahn's buildings are truly "prettier" in real. Just like tasting the real soup, you feel the depth of ingredients (after I grew up a little bit in architecture).

I would suggest people to read "Building Art, Building Science" by Thomas Leslie, if you are willing to knowing more about this great architect.