Modern Architecture Since 1900 by William Curtis has, since its first publication, become the benchmark text for understanding the modern architectural tradition — tracing the creative tension between old and new that produced a century of remarkable built form worldwide.
About This Book
Few architectural histories have earned the designation of contemporary classic, but Curtis's Modern Architecture Since 1900 is one of them. Worldwide in scope, it weaves together technical, economic, social, and intellectual developments into a coherent narrative that never loses sight of individual buildings and the architects who made them. The third edition is substantially revised, with seven entirely new chapters that expand coverage of recent world architecture and bring fresh critical attention to regional identity and variety. For students, practitioners, and historians of modern architecture, this remains the essential starting point — described by James Ackerman of Harvard University as "immeasurably the finest work covering this field in existence."
Key Features
- 736 pages of historical narrative, architectural analysis, and interpretation spanning global modern architecture
- Author: William Curtis
- Published by Phaidon, 1982 (third edition)
What You'll Discover
- How technical, economic, social, and intellectual forces shaped the development of modern architecture across different cultures and continents
- The individual architect as the primary lens — what distinguishes outstanding buildings and gives them lasting architectural value
- An expanded critical framework for understanding regional identity and variety within the broader modern tradition
- The creative interaction between historical precedent and innovation that generated the richness of twentieth-century architectural form
About the Author
William Curtis is the author of Modern Architecture Since 1900, a work whose scope and analytical depth have established it as the definitive survey of its field. His focus on the relationship between individual creative vision and broader cultural forces runs throughout his historical writing. [Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 736
- Dimensions: 21.2 x 24.7 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780714833569
- Publisher: Phaidon
- Publication Date: 1982
Perfect For: Architecture students seeking a comprehensive historical foundation, practitioners wanting to contextualise modern precedents, and academics engaged with the historiography of twentieth-century architecture.