Colin Davies

Book launch and talk by Colin Davies, the author of A New History of Modern Architecture.

Join us for the book launch of A New History of Modern Architecture and talk by the author. Copies of the book, both hard back and paperback, will be available to buy at generous discounts. The paperback edition is not otherwise available until February. Followed by a reception with wine.

‘Postmodernism was at home in America, an enormous empty territory relatively recently populated by fast-built cities of a provisional and experimental nature. The impression of permanence and solidity in American architecture had mostly been achieved by the imitation of classical forms. Surface appearance and communicativeness were more highly valued than material integrity. Neo-Rationalism, on the other hand, was born in Italy, a country built among the ruins of the ancient empire that had bequeathed those classical forms. Actual permanence was what mattered to Rossi, not just the appearance of it.’
Colin Davies, from A New History of Modern Architecture

Combining a fascinating, thought-provoking and – above all – readable text with over 800 photographs, plans and sections, this exciting new reading of modern architecture is a must for students and architecture enthusiasts alike. Organised largely as a chronology, chapters necessarily overlap to allow for the discrete examination of key themes including typologies, movements and biographical studies, as well as the impact of evolving technology and country-specific influences.

Image: Colin Davies, A New History of Modern Architecture, Laurence King Publishers. Design: Blok Graphic