Marcel Breuer

"A collection of essays by a group of scholars, which examine Breuer's approach and way of working, his strategies and his signature buildings. These essays draw on an abundance of newly available documents held in the Breuer Archive at Syracuse University, which are now accessible online."--Site web de l'éditeur.

Illustrated with the author's own drawings of many of the projects, as well as with archival images and personal snapshots, Gatje draws a vivid and affecting picture of a unique architecture office, and of one of the great architects of the modern era."--BOOK JACKET.

This book tracks the development of Marcel Breuer’s aesthetic clash between uniformity and singularity through the detailed examination of his seminal buildings. Each chapter examines a specific building and puts into context Breuer’s other work and the contemporary movements/architects of the post-war era such as Surrealism, Brutalism and structural expressionism. The buildings examined include the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, of 1958; the IBM Research Center in Le Gaude, France, of 1962; the Annunciation Priory in Bismark, North Dakota, of 1963; and the Atlanta Central Library of 1980. Marcel Breuer’s approach to design was inspired by the Spanish phrase, sol y sombra (sun and shadow). Sun and shadow meant for Breuer that a juxtaposition of contrasts was necessary; light glass walls and heavy concrete, masses lifted over voids, and serial precast construction resting on sculptural columns became hallmarks of Breuer’s buildings. By creating an architecture of juxtaposition, Breuer’s work can be interpreted as a surrealist recontre, as fueling a new architectural condition. A critical evaluation of Marcel Breuer’s work, this book is written for graduate students, researchers, and academics interested in his work and how it shaped the architecture of the post-war era.

Following the opening of The Met Breuer, this fascinating Bulletin contextualizes the architectural masterpiece now dedicated to displaying The Met’s collection of modern and contemporary art. Designed by one of the twentieth century’s most visionary architects, the Breuer building is a Brutalist icon and a work of art in its own right, known for its monumentality and stark purity of materials. Providing not just a history of the building commission, but also charting the artistic journey of Marcel Breuer from Bauhaus-educated furniture designer to world-renowned architect, this informative publication both records and contributes to the rich history surrounding Breuer and his landmark museum.

A complete monograph on the rich design archive of Bauhaus powerhouse Marcel Breuer. Though best known today for his furniture, especially his tubular steel Wassily armchair, Breuer also deserves notice for architecture of 1930s and postwar era, including UNESCO headquarters in Paris and the Whitney Museum of American Art. With personal accounts by Breuer himself, I.M. Pei and Robert F. Gatje, Breuer's former partner.

Internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei commented that if Marcel Breuer's church for Saint John's Abbey had been built in New York instead of the north woods of Minnesota it would be world famous. Hamilton Smith, Breuer's longtime associate, wrote that the completed church was that rare thing, an architectural design fully realized, and he regarded it as Breuer's finest achievement. The junior member of the twelve-monk planning committee recounts in warm and frequently humorous detail how its members related to the Hungarian-born Bauhaus-trained architect who had no background in church architecture but shared their belief in the enduring quality of simple materials sympathetically used. How the strong architect-client relationship survived the strain of disagreement at a critical moment in completion of the church is the narrative high point in this informal record of four years in which the reader sees a masterpiece of modern church architecture take shape.

Drawing upon previously unpublished archival material, photographs, sketches, notes, and plans, architectural historian Hyman covers Marcel Breuer's entire career as an architect, documenting both his unbuilt and completed work. Following the introduction in which she traces the critical reception of Breuer's architecture throughout his career and in the decades after his death, she presents a biography, as well as a survey of all his buildings and projects organized by type of commission. Extensively illustrated with 325 bandw and color photographs and drawings. Oversize: 10.75x10.5". c. Book News Inc.