Modern Architecture (Oxford History of Art)

Rating:
Summary: Succint, yet profound
Review: It was a moment of joy to find a new book by Alan Colquhoun.
After many years of silence, at least in the form of publication,
Colquhoun has opened new horizons to the architects who are interested in Modern Architecture.
Similar to his earlier works, the book not only depicts his
own personified interpretation of the buildings, but also tracks
down what has caused such stream of production.
Moreover, as an architect-based scholar, his viewpoints are
provacative to designers.

Rating:
Summary: Modern Architecture
Review: Who needs another history of the modern movement? Coloquhoun, emeritus professor of architecture at Princeton, shows us why in this wonderfully succinct, readable, and opinionated account of movements and formgivers, from European art nouveau to the post-war decades in America. Each of the chapters focuses on a theme or a region, ranging from the artistry of Loos to the social engineering of Scandinavia. Though most of the examples are familiar, the author gives them a fresh spin-starting with the cover illustration of Hans Scharoun's Schminke house of 1933, now restored and used as a day care center. It embodies the daring and idealism that powered the modern movement and is now being rediscovered. (Michael Webb is the book reviewer for LA Architect magazine.)