50 Architects You Should Know

by Isabel Kuhl, Sabine Thiel-Siling

Starting with the Renaissance, this introduction to fifty visionary architects traces the major aesthetic movements over the past six centuries and offers concise portraits of the geniuses behind them. This accessible and lively survey takes readers around the world and through history, from Filippo Brunelleschi to Antoni Gaudi to Frank Gehry. Doublepage spreads feature full-color illustrations, informative sidebars, and a timeline that extends throughout the book. A concise and accessible architectural history, this book is a fascinating look at the enormous variety of ways architects have helped define their eras.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Art

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2008

About the author

Isabel Kuhl is an art historian living in Cologne, Germany. Her books include Andy Warhol and Vincent van Gogh (both by Prestel).

Dr. Isabel Kuhl ist Kunsthistorikerin, freie Lektorin und Autorin, die schon zahlreiche Publikationen bei Prestel veröffentlicht hat. Sie lebt und arbeitet in Köln.

Reviews

[MKF]

DNF

[Zhijing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice picture book. It covers architecture designs from the baroque medieval time to the minimalistic or contemporary designs recently. I wonder what makes people think a certain type of architecture beautiful, especially when there’s a trade-off with functional value. Is this a symbol of cultural relativism?

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

165 pages for 50 architects is just not enough, plus some of the 50 are questionable. For example, Thomas Jefferson didn't add much to Palladio's design which preceded Monticello by centuries so I'm not sure why he's included at all. The book is an okay superficial overview but I had hoped for more.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a knowledgeable and fascinating, if somewhat one sided (more on that in a moment) account of architecture. Beginning in the 1430's, the height of the Renaissance, and running through 2013, various architects and their styles were discussed. The architects themselves came from Argentina, Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland and Spain. Each had a unique style, and each produced magnificent works. I say one sided though, because only one out of 50 was a woman, Zaha Hadid from Iraq. I find it very hard to believe that in over 600 years, only one woman warranted inclusion in a book such as this.

Some examples included:

Zaha Hadid who designed a sleek, modern science center in Wolfsburg.

Leon Batista Alberti, a true Renaissance man, who in addition to architect worked in many other fields including art and history.

Christopher Wren, the renowned English architect who designed St. Paul's in London.

Gottfried Semper who built the Dresden theater, a magnificent work of art.

Daniel Burnham who built possibly my favorite building in New York City, the Flatiron building

Frank Lloyd Wright, who was instrumental in changing American architecture. Falling Water is one of my favorite architectural creations

Cesar Belli who was responsible for the design of the Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

I.M Pei who built one of my favorite architectural pieces, the glass pyramid outside the Louvre.

Richard Meier, who designed and conceived of the Getty Center, a place I have visited.

Full color photos, a page long article about the architect, and the buildings chosen to be included as photographs and a glossary at the end. A very well written, informative and interesting book.

[Osk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Architecture is fascinating and so is reading about famous buildings and its origin. The book includes many stunning structures such as Flatiron building in NYC, famous Santa Maria dome building in Florence, Louvre pyramid in Paris and Burj Khalifa in Dubai. A quote from the book that resonated with me: "An architect has the best job in the world, for on this little planet, where everything has already been discovered, the design of a project remains one of the greatest adventures still possible for us."- Renzo Piano

[Baboula · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

Someone needs to save education from revolving only around West Europe/US

[Adnan Soysal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice , short, sharp intro into architecture history with examples of master pieces.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Brunelleschi to Philip Johnson and beyond, these architects are presented in birth order with some detail of their training and their major buildings. Each is given 2 or 4 pages (mostly 2) with 1 or more pictures of their creations, as well as a picture of the architect. From the Renaissance to the very modern, well-known and lesser-known architects are included. From Italian churches to the Olympic Birds-Nest stadium in Beijing. My only objection is the fewness of pictures. Of course, having enough pictures would mean a much larger book.
Michelangelo, Thomas Jefferson, and Frank Lloyd Wright are present.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible, comprehensive text regarding famous architects. I really enjoyed the photos and the succinct descriptions as well as the provided timelines. The flow of ancient to modern was seamless. I especially appreciated the layman terms as I have no prior experience with architectural books.