The Genius of Robert Adam: His Interiors [Hardcover]

Eileen Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001 | Series: The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Robert Adam was one of the greatest British architects of the later eighteenth century. So widespread was his influence as a decorator and furniture designer that his name has become a household word. But it is the synthesis of architecture, planning and decoration that stands at the heart of Adam's achievement as Eileen Harris shows in this elegantly illustrated book. She considers in detail the interaction of each of these elements in nineteen of Adam's most accomplished interior projects, including some of the most famous British country houses and London town houses. Most of Adam's enormous body of work was in pre-existing houses, the challenges of remodeling stimulated his inventive imagination, and he became a master at turning awkward situations to advantage. Harris has mined archival sources, including the large collection of drawings from the Adam office at Sir John Soane's Museum in London, and fully examined the houses themselves to discover exactly what Adam did in each project and why. Taking into account later alterations and renovations, Adam-revival additions, and so-called accurate restorations of the last twenty-five years, Harris brings to light how much of Adam's original work was conditioned by circumstance and how much was left to invention. In her detailed discussions of the planning, decoration, ceilings, carpets, chimney pieces and furniture of such interiors as those at Kedleston, Syon House, Osterley Park, Newby Hall, Culzean Castle, and Home and Lansdowne Houses in London, Harris uncovers the full extent of Adam's prodigious achievements.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In collaboration with his brothers James and William, Robert Adam became the leading architect in Great Britain in the second half of the 18th century. He presented himself as an authority on ancient Roman architecture and published the first volume of the elaborate Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam in 1773. Robert Adam's influence crossed the Atlantic, and numerous important buildings demonstrate his innovative introduction of various geometric forms into the floor plan and employ his delicate and restrained ornament based on a classical vocabulary. In fact, his firm had its greatest influence on interior design, and this volume, by an architectural historian who has authored several earlier titles on Adam's work, beginning with The Furniture of Robert Adam (1963), provides detailed analyses of the work, much of which took place inside buildings designed by others. Extensive historical data are presented meticulously, and the graphic documentation is superb, including floor plans and interior elevations based on Adam's own drawings and often in color. This is the definitive work on critical aspects of the architect's work. For all architecture and design collections. Paul Glassman, New York Sch. of Interior Design Lib.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

A superb and original study. . . thorough. . . beautifully illustrated with photographs, and. . . drawings reproduced mostly in color. . . . very highly recommended. -- Choice

[A] sumptuous volume. Written with complete command of archival source material. . .[a] minutely detailed study of 19 Adam houses. . . -- New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice for Architecture Books of 2001

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Paul Mellon Centre BA; First Edition edition (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300081294
• ISBN-13: 978-0300081299
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 10.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,177 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars B+, September 15, 2007

By 

C. Fulmer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Genius of Robert Adam: His Interiors (Hardcover)

This is a gorgeous book; the photos are first rate (always in color) and appropriate to content. The only factor detracting form the book's general excellence is a text that is sometimes disjointed and with references to pictures or illustrations not included in the book. Were that not so, the book would rate an A+.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book about Best Architect, May 4, 2009

By 

David J. Bikoff, Pa (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Genius of Robert Adam: His Interiors (Hardcover)

Have read every book about Robert Adam published in the past 100 years, I can state with confidence and authority that this is THE BEST of the lot. A must for any student of Robert Adam, Georgian architecture and interiors, and indeed for any architect or student of interior design in general.