A Most Exciting Vision: Cesar Pelli’s Book List
By Steve Kroeter February 7, 2012
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| Cesar Pelli |
Architect Cesar Pelli: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (New Haven, Connecticut)
Recognized for a lifetime of distinguished achievement in architecture—he is the recipient of more than 200 awards and prizes for his contributions to the field—Cesar Pelli has designed some of the contemporary world’s most famous buildings. His work, which encompasses academic buildings, research centers, libraries, performing arts complexes, museums, private residences, airports, and master plans, includes the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1997), the globe’s tallest buildings until 2004; the World Financial Center (1981–88) in New York; and the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA (1975), whose third phase is to be completed in 2012.
Pelli, who was born and educated in Argentina, worked in the offices of Eero Saarinen on several key projects, including the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport, and later with Gruen Associates, before founding his own practice (Cesar Pelli & Associates, now Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects) in 1977. That same year he became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture (a post he held through 1984).
For Designers & Books Pelli submitted a list of five books—two by Le Corbusier and one each by Robert Venturi, Julien Guadet, and Sigfried Giedion. His concise—and incisive—comments about the books point to his clear recollection of being an architecture student (see the comments on Eléments et théorie de l’architecture and Le Corbusier: Oeuvre Complète), his appreciation for “lucid and vigorous” critique (see his comment on Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture), and his interest in and regard for the new and the visionary (he praises Towards a New Architecture as “a most exciting vision for architecture”).
His 1999 book, Observations for Young Architects, an “architectural autobiography,” distills the wisdom and experience gained from many years as a practitioner and an educator. Currently out of print in the U.S. (a Spanish-language edition was reprinted in 2009 by Ediciones Infinito in Buenos Aires), it remains an insightful and thought-provoking assessment of the work that architects do and the uniqueness and core characteristics of the architectural profession (although our view is that the book should not be considered solely as of interest and relevance to young architects). Among his ideas is that architecture is an endeavor that simultaneously straddles both commercial and cultural considerations—it is both a profession and an art. He creates a framework for his analysis that involves eight principal “connections”: time, construction, place, purpose, culture, design process, constituency, and oneself.
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| Observations for Young Architects, 1999 (English, The Monacelli Press), 2009 (Spanish, Ediciones Infinito) |
In the ten plus years since Observations was published, the profession and how it is practiced—and also the relationship between architects and society—have changed dramatically. Designers & Books asked Pelli if, given the chance to update or revise his book, what his response might be. His answer? “I would not add or subtract any of the ‘connections’ I wrote about in Observations for Young Architects. That book represents my thoughts at a moment in my life. I do not disagree with anything I said then, but today I would write a different book.”
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Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy
By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020
Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn
By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: October 2020
An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019
A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.
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Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context
By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020
An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian
By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020
A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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