Robert Adam And His Brothers

Robert Adam is perhaps the best known of all British architects, the only one whose name denotes both a style and an era. The new decorative language he introduced at Kedleston and Syon around 1760 put him at the forefront of dynamic changes taking place in 18th-century British architecture. His later claim that his practice with his brother James had effected 'a kind of revolution' in design was no idle boast. Their style dominated the later Georgian period and their influence was widespread, not only in Western Europe but in Russia and North America. But for such a well-known figure, much of Robert Adam's art still remains poorly understood. This new study, based on papers given at a Georgian Group symposium in 2015, looks afresh at many aspects of the Adam brothers' oeuvre, such as interior planning, their use of colour, the influence of classical sources, their involvement in the art market, town planning and building speculation, and Robert Adam's late picturesque drawings and castle designs - all within the context of the Adam family background and their personal and working relationships. The Scottish architecture of Robert and James's older brother, John, is also assessed. There are essays by established Adam experts as well as contributions from a younger generation of historians and postdoctoral scholars, one of the book's aims being to stimulate further research on the Adams' contribution to British architecture, art and design.

One of the most celebrated books in architectural history, this volume consists of 106 illustrated plates that influenced generations of British and American architectural and furniture designs.

The iconic eighteenth-century architect Robert Adam was based in London for more than half of his life and made more designs for this one city than anywhere else in the world. This book reviews a wide variety of his designs for London, highlighting lesser-known buildings as well as familiar ones.

Robert and James Adam dominated British architecture for the second half of the 18th century. The key period in the development of the Adam style was their time as Grand Tourists in Italy - three years for Robert, four for James. As architects they studied and drew after the Antique, as Grand Tourists they formed a vast collection of paintings and drawings. It was this collection that was sold during the years 1765-1821. The drawings themselves were acquired by Sir John Soane in 1833 for his new Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. These drawings, together with the brothers' fascinating letters and James's journal, form a unique picture. This book gives an account of the brothers' aspirations and achievements in making their Grand Tours, tracing James's role as well as Robert's. The way in which they composed their architecture and even the manner in which they drew in watercolour and wash was the achievement of these years as Grand Tourists. AUTHOR: Professor Tait is an art historian with a particular interest in 18th-century architecture and landscape. He published a survey of the Soane Adam collection in 1996, Robert Adam, the Creative Mind. He is also the author of Robert Adam: drawings and imagination (1993). SELLING POINTS: *First of a planned series of five illustrated books on the works of the Adam brothers held at Sir John Soane's Museum (25 September 2008 to 14 February 2009), described by Robert Adam as 'the whole Soul, Body and Guts' of their architecture *The text by world-renowned art historian Professor Alan Tait accompanies the stunning reproduction of 1,000 or so drawings, including many that have never been published before *These drawings, together with the brothers' personal letters and James's journal make up a remarkable document for all those interested in 18th-century architecture and Italy 115 colour & 11 b/w illustrations

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Excerpt from Robert Adam His Brothers: Their Lives, Work Influence on English Architecture, Decoration and Furniture Some years have elapsed since I was invited to become the author Of this book. Then I was filled with admiration for some Of the finest works Of the brothers; for long I had been generally familiar with their best known undertakings and with the collection of engravings of their work. Published in the eighteenth Century and at the beginning of the nineteenth, but these had hitherto failed to convey to me an adequate conception of their remarkable ability as designers. It was not until I saw the actual works. That have been preserved with care in many of the great houses Of this country, that I became able to properly appreciate the value Of their work. And to ascertain the true position of the brothers among the architects and art workers Of their day. In addition to visiting the works Of the brothers in London and the vicinity, I have familiarised myself with examples in the more distant parts Of the provinces, as well as in both Scotland and Ireland. I have also been able, whilst upon the Continent, to pay Visits to most of the places at which both Robert and James Adam Stayed, when engaged abroad upon study and research; and in these and Similar ways I have sought to do what in me lay to render this book more useful and of greater interest. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.