Eero Saarinen: Buildings from the Balthazar Korab Archive (Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design & Engineering) [Hardcover]

David G. De Long (Editor), C. Ford Peatross (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0393732231 | ISBN-13: 978-0393732238 | Edition: 1

A timely portrait of the work of an architect who expanded the vocabulary of modern architecture.

Eero Saarinen and Balthazar Korab constitute a unique team in the history of architecture: Saarinen, the mid-twentieth-century architect who challenged the architectural conventions of his time; and Korab, an architect in Saarinen's office whose perceptive photographs reveal the brilliance of Saarinen's work.

This visual sourcebook illustrates nineteen Saarinen commissions in photographs drawn from Korab's archive, providing multiple views of the buildings themselves and some views of their construction and of architectural models that were critical to their design. Images of Saarinen's office and home provide personal ambience, and an introductory essay positions Saarinen's work within the broader context of his time.

Seen in detail, such earlier works as the General Motors Technical Center (1948-56) or the Miller house (1953-57) show departures from orthodox modernism; Saarinen's assured handling of new materials and new building functions impart lasting value to his career, as seen in the Trans World Airlines Terminal (1956-62) and Dulles International Airport (1958-63), which have become iconic images.

800; 464 pages of color

Editorial Reviews

Review

A sense of why Saarinen stood apart from his peers can be gathered...with striking images that...leap off the page. (The New York Review, Martin Filler) REVIEW: You're in for a proper education about the architect's expressive talent...the Modernist master's fluid architecture is nothing if not poetic. (Modern Luxury (Dallas), Saxon Henry)

You're in for a proper education about the architect's expressive talent...the Modernist master's fluid architecture is nothing if not poetic.

Review

You're in for a proper education about the architect's expressive talent...the Modernist master's fluid architecture is nothing if not poetic.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (June 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393732231
• ISBN-13: 978-0393732238
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,201,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A grouping by project and a chronological arrangement further lends to the book's value, September 11, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eero Saarinen: Buildings from the Balthazar Korab Archive (Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design & Engineering) (Hardcover)

Architectural photographer Balthazar Korab's practiced eye and hand lends striking images of the buildings and working methods of one Eero Saarinen, joining other photos of Modernist masterpieces with rare insights into his buildings, design, and models. Photographer Korab left Corbusier in 1954 to work in Saarinen's office, beginning a career of over fifty years as a photographer, so this is more than an outsider's collection: it's an insider's view of Saarinen's work and needs to be in any serious architectural library. A grouping by project and a chronological arrangement further lends to the book's value.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

4.0 out of 5 stars Great team, July 22, 2008

By 

David M. (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eero Saarinen: Buildings from the Balthazar Korab Archive (Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design & Engineering) (Hardcover)

This book is a result of what happens when you take a great architect and match him with a great photographer. The pictures are comprehensive but the quality of the reproductions in the book are grainy and I know that the original photographs are crystal clear. The text leaves you wanting more information.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Judge a Man by His Cover, August 12, 2008

By 

Gilbert L. Rist "Gib Rist" (Detriot , Mi) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eero Saarinen: Buildings from the Balthazar Korab Archive (Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design & Engineering) (Hardcover)

In no way should this book be judge by it's Prints of the originals. They are prints what do you expect. If you had the honor of knowing this man and his family you would not be so judgmental of his book. My suggestion to you would be to actually try and meet him and purchase some of his original work. Once you see the beauty in his work you will forget about the graininess of the photos in the Saarinen book. As far as learning more about Balthazar Korab I suggest purchasing more books on this subject.I have had the pleasure of knowing this gentleman for around 30 years. He is not only a great Photographer, Architect, Master Gardner, Korab is a great human being and a inspiration to many. Someone coined the phrase "The Ansel Adams of the Architectural World". I would more than agree with that statement but Ansel Adams was not a Architect. Korab's art is disappearing thanks to the digital world and that is really sad to me. Soon the only place you will be able to see work like his is when you go to a museum. A true Master and a good friend DG your book is absolutely beautiful.
c' est formidable

Thank you
Gib