Richard MeierWhile architectural styles keep changing, Richard Meier is a rock of
constancy, holding fast to the forms and principles of classic
20th-century modernism. His pristine white buildings, precise and
articulated, proclaim that rationality and clarity still have the power
to impress us in an age of unfettered stylistic experimentation. Others
may seize the role of Dionysus, but he is content to be Apollo. This
is the third installment of a series of monographs on Meier's
architecture; the first volume was published in 1985. It records 23
works designed or completed between 1992 and 1999. The best known of
these is the legendary Getty Center in Los Angeles, but that
billion-dollar Wagnerian extravaganza has not distracted Meier from
turning out many other impressive structures of large and small scale,
including the Hague City Hall and Central Library, the Barcelona Museum
of Contemporary Art, and the Rachovsky House in Dallas. Two-thirds of
the projects are in Europe or Asia, suggesting that America may not be
taking full advantage of this native son's abilities. This
large-format, square book is handsomely assembled, with 444 pages and
more than 650 well-reproduced color and black-and-white photos and
finely honed line drawings. Essays by architectural historians Kenneth
Frampton and Joseph Rykwert and a postscript by architect Arata
Isozaki--all major figures in their fields--provide valuable analysis
that completes this impressive volume. --John Pastier
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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