Louis I. Kahn by Robert McCarter is the definitive monograph on one of the twentieth century's most consequential architects — updated to include Four Freedoms Park, completed four decades after Kahn's death and emblematic of his enduring relevance.
About This Book
Few architects have cast as long a shadow over post-war design as Louis I. Kahn. His insistence on the poetic potential of structure, light, and material transformed what Modern architecture could mean — and his influence has only intensified in the twenty-first century. McCarter's monograph, long regarded as the authoritative text on Kahn's practice, traces this trajectory through both built and unbuilt work: from the Yale University Art Gallery and the Kimbell Art Museum to the monumental civic projects in India and Bangladesh. Comprehensively illustrated and thoroughly updated, this edition is essential reading for architects, historians, and anyone serious about understanding how Kahn redefined the discipline.
Key Features
- 528 pages of extensively illustrated analysis spanning built and unbuilt projects
- Written by Robert McCarter, author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling original monograph
- Notable projects include Yale University Art Gallery, Kimbell Art Museum, Salk Institute, projects in India and Bangladesh, and New York City's Four Freedoms Park
- Published by Phaidon, ISBN: 9781838663049
What You'll Discover
- How Kahn's approach to structure and light constituted a fundamental rethinking of Modernism rather than a continuation of it
- The significance of Kahn's late civic projects — including work in India and Bangladesh — as expressions of architecture's capacity for cultural and institutional meaning
- The posthumous completion of Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, and what it reveals about the longevity of Kahn's design philosophy
- Why Kahn's unbuilt projects are as instructive as his constructed work, and how McCarter uses them to illuminate his design thinking
About the Author
Robert McCarter is the author of the original bestselling and critically acclaimed monograph on Louis I. Kahn, recognised as the definitive scholarly account of the architect's life and work. His writing examines how Kahn redefined Modern architecture and why that redefinition continues to shape architectural practice and education today.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 528
- Dimensions: 312 x 247 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781838663049
- Publisher: Phaidon
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects, architectural historians, and design students seeking a comprehensive, scholarly account of Kahn's practice — and for anyone tracing the roots of contemporary architecture back to its post-war turning points.