Anatxu Zabalbeascoa Livres

A translation of the Spanish work published in 1996 by Editorial Gustavo Gili S.A., Barcelona. An introductory essay describes the history of the profession of architecture and of architects' workspaces. Following the introduction are profiles of 38 well-known architecture offices from around the world. Full-page color photos of exteriors and interiors are accompanied by descriptive text. Among those Michael Graves, Robert Venturi, Richard Meier, Mario Botta. Also included is biographical information (and a small b&w photo) for each architect. 10x10 Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

English (translation)Original Spanish

In recent years terms such as geometrical purity, technical precision, elimination of ornament and abstraction have tended to be summed up in a single word: minimalism. This book establishes, in art and architecture, the genealogy of a concept whose currency in our daily lives transcends any one discipline. After reviewing the work of the minimalist sculptors who came to the fore in the 1960s (Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt, Robert Morris), the book goes on to consider the austere rationalism of architects such as Adolf Loos and Mies van der Rohe. On this basis, Minimalisms sets out to present examples of recent architectural practice (Herzog & de Meuron, Peter Zumthor, John Pawson) which, in their combination of the purest forms of the Modern Movement with the most advanced techniques and materials, have helped popularise an aesthetic and a word that has become a sign of the times.