philip johnson, architect dead at age 98.
his long career was marked by contradiction. first he was a disciple of mies van der rohe and a seminal modernist, then a classicist, a postmodernist, then a sort of expressionist. he never cultivated a consistent look or theme to his work.
his career highlight was the minimalist “glass house”, a wonderfully simple but sophisticted personal residence he designed in 1949, in new canaan, connecticut. he was found dead in the house on january 26.
Good heavens, you scared me for a second there. I thought this was going to be about THIS Philip Johnson, who is a friend of mine!
So, he was like the David Bowie of architecture, always changing and evolving?
God, I’m bummed. He’s probably my favorite architect, just because he was always thinking on his toes.
I can’t recall the specifics from his biography, but I know that his New Canaan estate is supposed to go to public now…I wonder if there were any provisions in his will for his partner to continue living there? (I seem to remember that his sister would get to keep her house that borders the estate.)
Anybody who’s interested should track down a copy of Philip Johnson: Diary Of An Eccentric Architect. It ran as a PBS special a few years back, and is a good introduction to at least the buildings in New Canaan. Doesn’t really address his more public work, but does get across the idea that the estate was his “sketchpad” for ideas he would explore elsewhere. I love his study most of all, but Glass House and the underground art gallery are awesome as well.
I don’t know HOW I missed this…
That’s a pretty good description. He was connected with the art scene in New York, putting together an exhibition of work by modern archtects in the 1930s. The Velvet Underground shot some promotional footage on the estate in the sixties, too… I assume that was due in part to a connection to Andy Warhol.
He was known for doing interesting, changing architecture, as well as for being incredibly effective at getting buyers to agree to his designs. He had his stumbles - the AT&T building in NYC with the old-style pediment is considered pretty ineffective as a design - but overall did some great stuff.
What a life he must’ve had…
Ineffective at what? I love that design.
Phillip Johnson designed the building I work in (191 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, as seen here).
It is my understanding that the feel he was going for - classical touches on a modern design - didn’t hit the mark and that the overall monumental feel of the building, especially the atrium, is dwarfing as opposed to the intent of being magnifying. I’d have to search to find the various critiques of it…certainly doesn’t mean people aren’t allowed to dig it - YMMV, right?
There was also an American Masters program about him in the 1980s and he was a pretty interesting character. He also was a fan of Buckminster Fuller’s work as well, which I found surprising. Some of his work I don’t care for, but it’s pretty obvious that Johnson knew a helluvalot more about architecture than most of the folks calling themselves “architect.”
Sad to hear this news, I like his work very much. For many years, I worked in this Johnson building, although I am about 99.9% sure that the first image, the one in the upper left corner, isn’t actually the building in question but rather a similar looking building on campus. It seems to be a “love it or hate it” sort of thing, I am definitely in the loving it camp. My office faced the interior atrium, and I liked how this feature maximized the sunlight that came into that space. The huge atrium is often criticized for being a terrible waste of space, in a city where space is precious, but I liked the contrast between the large open space and the smaller, enclosed spaces.
My favorite that has a somewhat local connection is The Roofless Church in New Harmony, Indiana. I saw this when I was 17 during an otherwise lackluster summer vacation with the family, and it made quite an impression. It was years later that I realized that Johnson was the architect.
This man was like a spiritual grandfather to me, and if I had studied to be an architect, I’d definitely take him as my model. (My other spiritual grandfather is the guitarist Chet Atkins, which should tell you what kind of wide swings I take in my inspiration.)
An very influential man - I was surprised to learn that he had such fascist leanings during his early career (he toured Poland at the invitation of the Nazis in 1939).
i never heard of any of that until NPR mentioned it after his death. that was sort of wierd.
i forgot about new harmony. i went there on a field trip in like third grade and remember the pulpit of the roofless church, richard meier’s visitor center, and a stuffed two-headed calf that was in a little museum.
Yeah, that natural history museum, or whatever it was. Almost like walking through an episode of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.
Regarding Johnson, I get the understanding from one of the obits that his sister is still alive, and is 102. The biography I read mentioned that the family was known for its longevity, and go figure, he lived and thrived into his 90s well enough to still go to work regularly just last summer. I would hope to do so well.
Does anybody know how to find a picture online of Johnson’s study from the New Canaan estate? I was hunting for one to put up as wallpaper on my computer, and haven’t had a lot of luck…had to settle forDa Monsta for the time being.
If you haven’t seen it, the study is wonderful. The exterior is almost like a temple, with a very Middle Eastern feel, and the interior makes great use of natural light. The “dome” at the top helps take the harsher aspects of the light out, and by the time it comes inside, the light is bright enough, but all ambient…there aren’t any blinding spots that hit the work space. (All this from Diary Of An Eccentric Architect, if you’re curious.)
