Franz Schulze - Böcker

Mies van der Rohe: A Critical Biography is a major rewriting and expansion of Franz Schulze's acclaimed 1985 biography, the first full treatment of the master German-American modern architect. Coauthored with architect Edward Windhorst, this revised edition features extensive new research and commentary and draws on the best recent work of American and German scholars. The authors' major new discoveries include the massive transcript of the early 1950s Farnsworth House court case, which discloses for the first time the facts about Mies' epic battle with his client Edith Farnsworth. Giving voice to dozens of architects who knew and worked with (and sometimes against) Mies, this comprehensive biography tells the compelling story of how Mies and his students and followers created some of the most significant buildings of the twentieth century.

In this biography, Franz Schulze probes the private and professional life of one of the most famous architects and architectural critics of the 20th century. The only son of a wealthy Midwestern family, Philip Johnson was a millionaire by the time he graduated from Harvard, and in 1932 he helped stage the historic International Style exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. A patron of the arts and a political activist who flirted with the politics of Hitler, Huey Long, and Father Coughlin, Johnson created controversial and historical structures such as the Glass House, the Roofless Church, the AT & T Building, the Crustal Cathedral, and many more. Johnsons's personal charms paired with his manipulative ploys - like his "borrowing" of designs - shine through in this biography. Drawing on Johnson's correspondence, personal photographs, and speeches, and on interviews with his friends and contemporaries, Schulze fills the biography with information on the architect's family, travels, friends and lovers, and his many buildings and spaces themselves.