Product Description

This remains one of the most important scholarly and illustrative examinations of Kahn's life work and his philosophy of architecture. Photographs and descriptive analysis are followed by a biographical chronology of the architect's life and a complete list of his buildings and projects from 1925 to 1974. The primary texts critically address different dimensions and periods of Kahn's production.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #218627 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-26
• Released on: 2005-07-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 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.

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.