This new account of international modernism explores the complex motivations behind this revolutionary movement and assesses its triumphs and failures. The work of the main architects of the movement such as, Frank Lloyd Wright, Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe is re-examined shedding new light on their roles as acknowledged masters. Alan Colquhoun explores the evolution of the movement from Art Nouveau in the 1890s to the megastructures of the 1960s, revealing the often contradictory demands of form, function, social engagement, modernity, and tradition.

Table of Contents

1. Art Nouveau 1890-1910; 2. Organicism versus Classicism: Chicago 1890-1910; 3. Culture and Industry: Germany 1907-14; 4. 'The Urn and the Chamberpot': Adolf Loos 1900-30; 5. Expressionism and Futurism; 6. The Avant-Gardes in Holland and Russia; 7. Return to Order: Le Corbusier and Modern Architecture in France 1920-35; 8. Weimar Germany: the Dialectic of the Modern 1920-33; 9. From Rationalism to Revisionism: Architecture in Italy 1920-65; 10. Neoclassicism, Organicism and the Welfare State: Architecture in Scandinavia 1910-65; 11. From Le Corbusier to Megastructures: Urban Visions 1930-65; 12. Pax Americana: Architecture in America 1945-65; Notes; Timeline; Further Reading; List of Illustrations; Index

Reviews

The elegance of Colquhoun's writing, reinforced witha full apparatus of notes and bibliography and supported by well-chosen illustrations, makes the book something of a bargain. Building Design