Frank Lloyd Wright: Architect [Hardcover]

Terence Riley (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1994

From the turn of the century until his death in 1959, Frank Lloyd Wright produced projects that defined and redefined the American architectural vision. This book, accompanying a major exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, is the most comprehensive appraisal of his achievements ever assembled. 466 illustrations, 190 in full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A major, candid reappraisal of Frank Lloyd Wright's enduring legacy, this handsomely illustrated survey accompanies a retrospective at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art. The study probes two sides of Wright: the visionary organic architect steeped in the spiritual idealism of Emerson and Whitman, and the autocratic advocate of a democratic architecture. Wright's fertile dialogue with modernism (which he at times vehemently denied) and his grounding in 19th-century notions of family and community are discussed. Special attention is paid to his designs for housing projects and Broadacre City, an unrealized utopian enclave which reflected his weaknesses in its wasteful overreliance on the automobile, its rigid class hierarchy and its consumerist vision leaving little space for public interaction. Five sensitive essays by noted scholars are accompanied by 484 plates (183 in color) including scores of Wright's color drawings. Riley and Reed co-curated the exhibit.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This book is published on the occasion of the Museum of Modern Art's exhibition of the same name. Coming more than 50 years after the museum's first Wright retrospective, both book and exhibit offer a fresh, comprehensive view of the architect's work. The transfer of the exhibit to book form is only partially successful, however. The book comprises photographs-many in color-of buildings and models, plans and sketches, and newly restored drawings by Wright. These are divided into nine thematic sections, but the themes and sections are not easily deciphered. The sections are neither titled nor listed in the table of contents, making it difficult to locate each individual introduction. Moreover, there are no running titles, so one's only orientation is chronological. And while the plates are truly stunning, the text explaining them is woefully deficient, often leaving the reader puzzled. While the text seems redeemed by the first five essays, comprehensive collections will be better served by William Allin Storrer's The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion (LJ 2/1/94).
Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Museum of Modern Art; First edition (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810961229
• ISBN-13: 978-0810961227
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,026,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really 4 1/2 stars. Quite comprehensive., April 1, 2007

By 

Chris bct "music everyday" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frank Lloyd Wright: Architect (Paperback)

Mine is 344 pages, the number listed for the hardcover edition. 12" tall x 9 1/2". The first 103 pages have text with small b&w photos. It reads pretty much like a textbook though not completely dry. For the rest of the book there is a white paper border from about a 1/2" to an inch on each page. The vast majority of the pages after page 107 are almost photos and architectrual drawings only, mostly drawings. Most of the photos are excellent and the drawings are quite good with a minimum problem of some being too light which is a common problem for FLW books with his drawings. The photos and drawings are a variety of sizes with few taking up a whole page and a few going on parts of each facing page. It's a bit of a physically heavy book for a paperback. What they sacrifice in size they make up for in quantity of photos and drawings. I find most of the drawings to be quite interesting and one in particular, of the Wolf Lake Amusement Park 1895, to be almost breathtaking. If only large FLW books would somehow darken some of the drawings. It's clear that the original drawings are about half the time a bit light and the books are being faithful in their rendering. Still, I'd like to be able to detect more detail in some of them.

Certainly, a fine book. It really provides a true overview of his life and work with a focus on his drawings. I find that I can't give 5 stars to a large FLW photo/drawing book when they don't fill the page with the photo or drawing. The beauty of his work calls for it. Still, I'm happy to own this book and would encourage purchasing it even when it is not severely discounted. A very good presentation of his work.