The Architecture of Philip Johnson [Hardcover]

Philip Johnson (Author), Richard Payne (Author), Hilary Lewis (Author), Stephen Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Philip Johnson's imprint is indelibly stamped on cities across America and his influence can be felt worldwide. His distinctive designs and widespread influence have made him one of the foremost names of 20th-century architecture. His life's work encompasses ideas that have shaped the way we live, work and play, from the sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art in New York to his famous Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. This oversized volume should appeal to anyone interested in the architecture of the 20th century. With a foreword by Johnson himself, an introduction by his biographer Hilary Lewis, the book contains more than 400 colour and black-and-white photographs, accompanied by detailed building descriptions, presented in chronological order.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"It is embarrassing to see all the buildings I have ever built stretched out in one book like this," writes Johnson in his preface to this catalogue raisonn‚ of his built work, covering 60 years and vast amounts of square footage. He might not be kidding: in addition to such indisputable, familiar masterpieces as Glass House (Johnson's New Canaan weekend house on 50 acres, completed in 1942 and complemented with other buildings over the years), the MoMA sculpture garden, the "notched" AT&T Building (now Sony Plaza) and the Four Seasons restaurant, there are quite a few less distinguished glass boxes here, many of them built for Texas oil companies. All of Johnson's buildings have been lovingly photographed by Richard Payne (described on the flap as "one of Johnson's personal photographers,"), and many of the 390 four-color and b&w shots take up entire 11" 13" pages. The scale is appropriate: Johnson's corporate work, particularly, needs to be given due scale so readers can appreciate the magnitude of their thrust and, often, odd beauty. Some of the truly giant reflective towers (IDS Center, Transco Tower and Water Wall, Pennzoil Place) may suck up all the air and space around them, but they do it with a wink. An introduction by Hilary Lewis, an architectural historian who has "worked with" Johnson on publications for the last decade, outlines the sweep of Johnson's career, while Stephen Fox (Houston Architectural Guide) provides histories and descriptions of each building. Despite his being a major purveyor the '70s and '80s monolithic impulse (such as the grim Post Oak Central complex in Houston), it's nearly impossible to dislike Johnson or his work; for every taunting propulsion, there is inkling of whimsy, as in the red, impossibly curved Gate House recently added to the New Canaan complex.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This retrospective of Philip Johnson's (b. 1906) architectural work is a tribute to his thinking and a tour of how his ideas became buildings. Johnson filled in some of the architectural blanks of the 20th century by combining his originality with brilliant reference points and designing dozens of structures as the enduring legacy of his elegant and careful imagination. Though dominated by his massive commercial structures, the book includes exceptional photographs of his New Canaan, CT, property the best I have seen. The Glass House and the other small, sophisticated homes and studios he has crafted become sculptures as they are lovingly photographed by Johnson's principal photographer, Payne, in different seasons and light. Architectural historian Lewis contributes an essay, Fox (Houston Architectural Guide) provides the descriptive text, and the architect himself provides the foreword. In a plainspoken, bluntly honest self-assessment, Johnson goes after his own failures and modestly enjoys his successes. He is remarkably objective about his creations, clearly caring about the work and the responsibility of an architect. This book, by its scale, exceptional photography, spare text, and images of Johnson's wonderful buildings, honors his career. Recommended. David Bryant, New Canaan P.L., CT
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch; 1 edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1427916217
• ISBN-13: 978-1427916211
• ASIN: 0821227882
• Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 11.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,377,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philip Johnson, Good and Bad- It's All Here, January 3, 2006

By 

LeMieux-Ruibal (Manhattan, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Architecture of Philip Johnson (Hardcover)

Philip Johnson, the most famous, influential and important architect of Post-War America gets here what he deserves: a monumental opus, gorgeously designed and filled with magnificent color photographs that surveys each and every one of the extant buildings designed by the "dean" of American architecture. From the Glass House (1949) to Trump Place (2001), this book works as a virtual catalogue raisonne of the work of Philip Johnson, reassessing a career that saw powerful masterpieces and dull, uninspired services to real estate tycoons but never went unnoticed.

The texts are simple and short, the emphasis being on the newly-commissioned photographs. Although an act of love sanctioned by Johnson himself (who chose the ruined World Fair Building for the cover), the book is not adulatory- Johnson's critics' sharp words on certain polemic buildings are included here.

As the publisher states in the flapcover, "This is *the* book on Philip Johnson's architecture".

6 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars PHILIP JOHNSON'S POLITICS AND CYNICAL SURVIVAL, April 8, 2005

By 

Eugene Tenenbaum "reluctant reader" (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Architecture of Philip Johnson (Hardcover)

On the other hand, Philip Johnson was an active fascist sympathizer and active propagandist for the Nazi government, who had tried to implement fascism in USA for at least 8 years between 1932 and 1940. Details of this past are described in "WE CANNOT NOT KNOW HISTORY:" PHILIP JOHNSON'S POLITICS AND CYNICAL SURVIVAL by KAZYS VARNELIS in Journal of Architectural Education, November 1994 published also on the Internet, and also discussed at http://arch.designcommunity.com/viewtopic.php?t=3709.