Case Study Houses. The Complete CSH Program 1945-1966

ISBN 978-3-8365-1021-9

Edition: German, English, French

A monumental retrospective of the Case Study Houses program

A monumental retrospective of the Case Study Houses program

The "Case Study House Project" (1945-66) was an extraordinary, innovative and, to this day, unique event in the history of American architecture. It focused on the Los Angeles area and provided for the design of 36 prototypes that would enable the simple, low-cost construction of modern homes during the post-war building boom.

The driving force behind this project was John Entenza, the publisher of Arts & Architecture and a champion of modernism, who was able to use his relevant connections to engage talents such as Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen. The highly experimental project produced houses that redefined modern living and had a significant impact on American and international architecture in its time and even today.

This book is a monumental retrospective of the entire project, with comprehensive documentation, excellent photographs from the time of its creation and current photographs of the houses that still exist, as well as detailed floor plans and sketches.

The photographer

His images of Californian architecture have burned themselves deeply into the memory of the 20th century. A book on modern architecture without the American photographer Julius Shulman is unthinkable. Some of his architectural photographs, such as the iconic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright's or Pierre Koenig's remarkable buildings, have been published countless times. It was Shulman's photographs that first highlighted the greatness of buildings by Charles Eames or his close friend Richard Neutra, for example. His work contributed to the development of architectural photography into an independent art form. Each of Shulman's images expresses his particular perception of buildings and his understanding of their place in the landscape. His compositions reveal not only the architectural idea behind the surface of a building, but also the dreams and hopes of an entire age. Although there are usually no people present in his photographs, there is always something human about them. Many of the buildings documented by Shulman have disappeared or been rebuilt in a disdainful way, but the demand for his pictures is stronger than ever.

The author

Elizabeth A. T. Smith is executive director of the New York-based Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. Previously, she was executive director of curatorial affairs at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto; senior curator and deputy director of programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago; and curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, where she oversaw the 1989 exhibition Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study Houses. She has organized numerous exhibitions, published and lectured on contemporary art and architecture.

The editor

Peter Gössel runs an agency for museum and exhibition design. For TASCHEN he has published monographs on Julius Shulman, R. M. Schindler, John Lautner and Richard Neutra as well as several architecture titles in the Small Series.

More details

Hardcover, 33.2 x 25.7 cm, 440 pages

Weight: 3.41 kg