Description
Book Synopsis: A new look at the interrelationship of architecture and sculpture during one of the richest periods of American modern design. Alloys looks at a unique period of synergy and exchange in the postwar United States, when sculpture profoundly shaped architecture, and vice versa. Leading architects such as Gordon Bunshaft and Eero Saarinen turned to sculptors including Harry Bertoia, Alexander Calder, Richard Lippold, and Isamu Noguchi to produce site-determined, large-scale sculptures tailored for their buildings’ highly visible and well-traversed threshold spaces. The parameters of these spaces—atriums, lobbies, plazas, and entryways—led to various designs like sculptural walls, ceilings, and screens that not only embraced new industrial materials and processes, but also demonstrated art’s ability to merge with lived architectural spaces.
Marin Sullivan argues that these sculptural commissions represent an alternate history of midcentury American art. Rather than singular masterworks by lone geniuses, some of the era’s most notable spaces—Philip Johnson’s Four Seasons Restaurant in Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building, Max Abramovitz’s Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center, and Pietro Belluschi and Walter Gropius’s Pan Am Building—would be diminished without the collaborative efforts of architects and artists. At the same time, the artistic creations within these spaces could not exist anywhere else. Sullivan shows that the principle of synergy provides an ideal framework to assess this pronounced relationship between sculpture and architecture. She also explores the afterlives of these postwar commissions in the decades since their construction.
A fresh consideration of sculpture’s relationship to architectural design and functionality following World War II, Alloys highlights the affinities between the two fields and the ways their connections remain with us today.
Details
Introducing Alloys: American Sculpture and Architecture at Midcentury - a captivating book that explores the interrelationship of architecture and sculpture during one of the most influential periods in American modern design. Discover the fascinating synergy and exchange that took place in the postwar United States, where sculpture and architecture influenced each other in profound ways.
Renowned architects like Gordon Bunshaft and Eero Saarinen collaborated with iconic sculptors including Harry Bertoia, Alexander Calder, Richard Lippold, and Isamu Noguchi to create awe-inspiring, site-specific sculptures for their architectural masterpieces. These sculptures were expertly tailored for the highly visible and well-traversed areas of their buildings - atriums, lobbies, plazas, and entryways. They not only embraced new industrial materials and processes but also demonstrated the remarkable ability of art to merge seamlessly with architectural spaces.
In Alloys, Marin Sullivan uncovers a hidden history of midcentury American art. Rather than focusing solely on individual masterworks, Sullivan reveals how collaborative efforts between architects and artists shaped some of the era's most significant spaces - think Philip Johnson's Four Seasons Restaurant in Mies van der Rohe's Seagram Building, Max Abramovitz's Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center, and Pietro Belluschi and Walter Gropius's Pan Am Building. These spaces would be diminished without the artistic creations within them, which are truly one-of-a-kind.
By exploring the principle of synergy, Sullivan provides a fresh perspective on the relationship between sculpture and architecture. She also delves into the lasting impact of these postwar commissions since their construction. Alloys is not only a comprehensive examination of the past but also an insightful account of how the connections between sculpture and architecture continue to shape our present.
Step into the world of Alloys: American Sculpture and Architecture at Midcentury and uncover a hidden narrative that sheds light on the fundamental affinity between these two art forms. Immerse yourself in the captivating stories behind iconic spaces and gain a deeper appreciation for the profound influence of sculpture on architectural design and functionality. Get your copy of Alloys today and embark on a journey through the rich history and enduring legacy of midcentury American art.
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