Louis Kahn (Hardcover)

by Joseph Rykwert (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The architect of Yale University's clean-cut Center for British Art, the graceful Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, the striking Indian Institute of Management in Ahmadabad, India, and the diamond-shaped Erdmann Hall at Bryn Mawr College receives elegant tribute in Louis Kahn by Joseph Rykwert, professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, with photographs by Roberto Schezen. (The writer and photographer also teamed up for The Villa: From Ancient to Modern.). After situating Kahn within the post-WWII modern social, artistic and critical framework associated with Lewis Mumford, Rykwert turns his attention to 15 specific projects, each of which is featured in about a dozen pages of images accompanied by brief text. Architects and scholars will rejoice in this learned, high-quality, large-format book. 185 illus., 100 in full color.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

American architect Louis Kahn (1901-74) believed in monumental architecture and "a spiritual quality inherent in a structure, which conveys a feeling of its eternity." Unfortunately, many observers find his work incredibly imposing, dense, and unfriendly; in his peak years, 1965-73, he exhibited an exceptional ability to make different buildings with varied purposes look like Soviet-era parking garages. He is nevertheless an important architect, and Rykwert, Paul Phillipe Cret Professor of Architecture emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, has written a careful and laudatory introduction to his work. Fifteen of his projects, institutional and residential, are shown in this volume. Each building is framed by a brief text that indicates place, purpose, and architecture, along with a floor plan and quality photographs of interiors and exteriors. The volume stresses in word and image Kahn's goal of making enduring buildings. He succeeded, even if his architecture does look like the tool of a totalitarian government. Recommended for collections where there is an interest in the architect's work or in the 1960s-to-1970s era of modern-gone-monumental. David Bryant, New Canaan Lib., CT

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810942267
• ISBN-13: 978-0810942264
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #314,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Khan-spiracy, March 14, 2004

By	Edward J. Shannon, AIA (Elgin, IL United States) - See all my reviews

I purchased this book through a book club at a dramatically reduced price, even at that I am disappointed. It is a big, beautiful book, but it is superficial and skin deep. Rykwert's essay, while competent, is brief. The photographs are beautiful, however the graphics (plans and sections) that are so essential to understanding Kahn's work are almost non-existent. Most projects contain only one floor plan that is usually "floating", i.e. devoid of any context. There are no sections or elevations. Seldom is there a site plan. If you have all or most of the books on Kahn and feel you need another, then perhaps this book is for you. If you are looking for a nice Kahn coffee table book, this book is for you. If you are looking for an in-depth understanding of this master architect, than I suggest other sources, such as the MoCA "In the
rhealm of architecture" catalogue published back in 1991.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a beautiful half of the story, March 5, 2006

By	Explaining Architecture (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

I completely agree with the other reviewers, saying it is a rather 'coffeetable' kind of book due to its lack of plans, sections and elevation, its minimal projecttexts and its emphasis on (beautiful) photos.

Having said that I would like to add the following; being and architect I always want two things of my architecture books:
1) getting all the background on both the architect and the projects, including projectdevelopment in both text and drawings
2) getting the best pictures of the build work

A lot of the time these things don't come in one good book so I have to buy two. For Louis Kahn this meant buying "Louis I Kahn" by Robert McCarter for a perfect overview of the life and ideas of Kahn and buying this book by Joseph Rykwert for its beautiful images. So for me this is one beautiful half of the whole story of Kahn, so buy it togehter with...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD COFFEE TABLE BOOK, February 6, 2005

By	D. LAWRENCE (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree with the review above. If you are an architect or anyone capable of understanding buildings through plans this book will leave you wanting something more. If you are just a casual observer of architecture and are satisfied with just the images then great. I have to say the images are great and it is really nice to hold the book in your hand and flip through the pages.