Edward Durell Stone: Modernism's Populist Architect

By Mary Anne Hunting

But Stone also drew divergent reactions. Such International Style buildings as his Museum of Modern Art (1935-39) in New York City, an austere, unornamented volume, won critical approval; in contrast, his monumental postwar architecture--the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (1958-71) in Washington, DC, among the best known--exposed popular tastes by offering a broader definition of Modernism inclusive of decoration. Enhanced interest in Stone's architecture has been spurred by the reconsideration of a number of his buildings. The former Gallery of Modern Art (1958-64) at 2 Columbus Circle in New York City, which was lost to a near complete makeover, stimulated vigorous and at times contentious discussion that made evident the need for an objective reassessment. His legacy--of giving form to the aspirations of the emerging consumer culture and of reconciling Modernism with the dynamism of the age--is established in Edward Durell Stone: Modernism's Populist Architect .

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393733017
• ISBN13: 9780393733013
• Release Date: November 2012
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 0.8" x 8.8"