Category: Writing

WWII and the American Dream

Posted on by patricia_kind

Mr. Albrecht conceived the organization, selected the essayists, and wrote the introduction to this 328-page book that accompanied the National Building Museum exhibition that explored the impact of World War II on postwar American life.

Credits
Publisher: MIT Press
Designed by Jean Wilson/MIT Press

Designing Dreams

Posted on by patricia_kind

Mr. Albrecht’s book was the first scholarly treatment of this subject and explored the relationship between film and architecture in England, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States during the first half of the 20th century.

Credits
Publisher: Harper & Row and the Museum of Modern Art

Charles and Ray Eames

Posted on by patricia_kind

Mr. Albrecht conceived the organization and commissioned the essays for this 205-page book on the California-based husband-and-wife team. Mr. Albrecht’s also wrote the book’s introduction and essays on the Eameses’ working methods and landmark furniture designs in innovative materials from molded wood to fiberglass. Other essays explored the Eameses’ important work in the areas of modern architecture, art, and science.

> See the exhibition

Awards
Winner, Best Exhibition Catalogue,
Society of Architectural Historians.

Credits
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Designer: Abbott Miller

Russel Wright

Posted on by patricia_kind

A pioneer in the concept of “lifestyle marketing,” Russel Wright anticipated the likes of Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren. Wright designed dinnerware, furniture, decorative objects. He and his wife Mary Wright wrote best-selling how-to books that influenced a post-World War II generation seeking a casual, yet elegant, American domesticity.

> See exhibition

Credits
Co-editor: Robert Schonfeld
Designer: Abbott Miller/Pentagram

Paris/NewYork

Posted on by patricia_kind

Paris/New York explored the period between the world wars when New York City, looking to Paris for inspiration, became the international cultural capital it is today. Bringing together well-known figures such as Josephine Baker and Salvador Dali and reviving the reputations of forgotten ones, the show examined the Paris/New York dialogue in the fields of architecture, furniture design, fashion, painting, and the performing arts, among other spheres.

> See the exhibition

Credits
Publisher: Monacelli Press
Designer: Pure+Applied

The Glass House: Pairings

Posted on by patricia_kind

Mr. Albrecht conceived, selected images, and wrote the text of this book published to commemorate the public opening of architect Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Its organizing theme—pairings—was inspired by Johnson’s concept of the site’s initial structures—the Glass House and Brick House—as a dialogue between visual motifs such as transparency and opacity. These formal pairings were then expanded to others drawn from the architect’s personal, professional, and artistic life. Featured photographs by Arnold Newman and Irving Penn.

Credits
Publisher: National Trust for Historic Preservation
Designers: Michael Beirut and Yve Ludwig/Pentagram