The prodigious builders

by Bernard Rudofsky

The Prodigious Builders

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

383 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

From http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/...

Bernard Rudofsky (Austrian-American, 1905–1988) was an architect, curator, critic, exhibition designer, and fashion designer whose entire oeuvre was influenced by his lifelong interest in concepts about the body and the use of our senses. He is best known for his controversial exhibitions and accompanying catalogs, including Are Clothes Modern? (Museum of Modern Art [MoMA], 1944), Architecture without Architects (MoMA, 1964), and Now I Lay Me Down to Eat (Cooper-Hewitt Museum, 1980). He was also famous for his mid-20th-century Bernardo sandal designs, which are popular again today.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the big one! A follow up to his MoMA exhibit and book Architecture without Architects, this is far more comprehensive. Here Rudofsky is able to expand upon his point and really begin to express his general anti-cultural attitude (as perhaps expressed by the book's lengthy subtitle). Great stuff!

[jw468 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, jumbo-version of Architecture Without Architects. As I mention in my review of Commonsense Architecture: A Cross-Cultural Survey of Practical Design Principles, these two books pair together nicely.

[Joellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites!