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Mies in Berlin
This volume, published to coincide with the Museum of Modern Art's exhibition, explores the stunning early projects of Mies van der Rohe. Accompanying the hundreds of photographs and drawings are a series of essays that focus on the evolution of Mies's vision as it shifted toward the avant-garde. Comprehensive and beautiful, this is the ultimate book on the architect's early work.
- GenresArchitecture
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 16, 2024
This book is not a monograph/coffee table book, but is also not a detailed analysis/critique of Mies' work. I am generally not very excited about books that are published by museums to coincide with an exhibit as they are usually lower-budget coffee table books with very little informative content. This one is somewhat of an exception but it still not a must-buy for fans of Mies.
The first third of the book contains 4 longer essays, each offering a different analysis of an aspect of Mies' work. None are a through, chronological, or overview of his work but rather focus on a more detailed aspect. They are incitement but sometimes become hard to read. They contain some images but also reference the color plates which is the 2nd section of the book.
The color plates sections covers all the built and un-built works in Germany and each project has a brief description offering some details of the project.
The last section is a collection of more, shorter essays about Mies' work, also each focusing on a very specific/obscure aspect of his work. These seem to be much shorter, and perhaps less informative/insightful.
There are other books with better photos, a more detailed chronology/monograph, and more informative text than this.
The book itself is a medium sized book that seems to be of higher quality, no complaints here. I would recommend the hardcover edition. I believe it is out of print now and the prices for the used ones seem high relative to the content. I would not pay more than $30-40 for a used copy.
The first third of the book contains 4 longer essays, each offering a different analysis of an aspect of Mies' work. None are a through, chronological, or overview of his work but rather focus on a more detailed aspect. They are incitement but sometimes become hard to read. They contain some images but also reference the color plates which is the 2nd section of the book.
The color plates sections covers all the built and un-built works in Germany and each project has a brief description offering some details of the project.
The last section is a collection of more, shorter essays about Mies' work, also each focusing on a very specific/obscure aspect of his work. These seem to be much shorter, and perhaps less informative/insightful.
There are other books with better photos, a more detailed chronology/monograph, and more informative text than this.
The book itself is a medium sized book that seems to be of higher quality, no complaints here. I would recommend the hardcover edition. I believe it is out of print now and the prices for the used ones seem high relative to the content. I would not pay more than $30-40 for a used copy.
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January 11, 2010"One's effortless glide through its interwoven complex of rooms, terraces, passages, and alcoves--rich and larger than life--sharpens the senses and expands the horizon of experience. Awareness is heightened to the point of expectancy. A space without hierarchy, center, or narrative, it is a labryinth in which to search and discover, to wander and wonder and be struck with wonder. Both sacred and profane, this is a house of the gods that mortals can enter and experience--rich yet poor, full yet empty, austere yet magical, a space of transformation." -page 132
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews