Perfect Acts Of Architecture [Hardcover]

Elia Zenghelis (Author), Jeffrey Kipnis (Author), Glenn Lowry (Author), Terence Riley (Editor), Sherri Geldin (Contributor), Thom Mayne (Contributor), Madelon Vriensendorp (Contributor), Andreq Zago (Contributor), Zoe Zenghelis (Contributor), Peter Eisenman (Contributor), Bernard Tschumi (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2002

Perfect Acts of Architecture presents six sets of highly inventive drawings by contemporary avant-garde architects Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi, Daniel Libeskind, and Thom Mayne. Created between 1972 and 1988, when many architects turned to teaching because economic conditions had drastically curtailed building commissions, these works reflect the period's intellectual debates and demonstrate graphic experimentation as a proactive mode of research. Each suite of drawings, fully illustrated with superb reproductions, offers great insight into the creative processes of six young designers, who have since gone on to establish major international reputations. To put this "paper architecture" into a broader historical context, Jeffrey Kipnis and Terence Riley provide introductory texts as well as concise commentaries on each of the projects.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, Jan. 27-Apr. 20, 2001
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Sept. 15, 2001-Jan. 6, 2002
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mar. 2-May 24, 2002, The AXA Gallery, New York, Aug. 15-Oct. 19, 2002 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jeffrey Kipnis is Curator of Architecture and Design at the Wexner Center for the Arts and Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at Ohio State University, Columbus.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (July 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870700391
• ISBN-13: 978-0870700392
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Optimistic visions of what architecture "could be", September 30, 2005

By 

A. McDonald (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perfect Acts Of Architecture (Hardcover)

First what this book is not. This is not a book about buildings, in a traditional sense, although all the architects with work represented in the book are actually far busier these days building real buildings than creating the sort of explorations seen here. Don't confuse this book for anything other than avant-garde drawing exercises.

So what this book IS -- well, the possibility that these avant-garde drawings can be a good thing, even a visionary and optimistic thing, that they can inspire, and finally can stretch the possibilities of what we mean by architecture. The title calls these "acts" of architecture, which really is just a bit of jargon meaning ravishingly beautiful drawings that are riffs on architectural ideas. These ideas don't always boil down into words (you could for instance skip most of the text), or comprehensible buildings, but are irreduceably visual and all exciting.

The collection presented here is a work of a generation of visionary architects now our elders and respected and all that means (like building real stuff now), but at the time this work was done these architects were effectively scribbling in their attics with no real commissions. The group as a whole was, and continues to be, enormously influential. It's also interesting to see the development of such famous architects as Rem Koolhaas or Tom Mayne (although hard to single them out amongst this group) compared to their mature and more "mainstream" production now.

One star is cut from the rating for the quality of reproductions. This is a catalogue for the MoMA and Wexner show, and the original drawings at the show were far more subtle and ravishing that the printing here. Especially the Mayne and Libeskind work suffers. Finally, Terry Riley's introduction is pitch-perfect, as one would expect.

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a sucker for good book design, May 17, 2008

By 

kyleseyz (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Acts Of Architecture (Hardcover)

This is a great book, awesome spine and cover design, and the typeset plays really well with the subject matter, especially for Rem and Elia's Exodus proposal.

Also you get pretty much all of the Manhattan Transcripts for about the same price as they'd be on their own.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great drawings but limited explanations, September 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Perfect Acts of Architecture (Museum of Modern Art Books) (Paperback)

The book shows exceptional stratigical drawing from a selection of famous achitects. Although some explanations about the projects is short, this book is great for architectural students because it simply provokes thought.