Broken glass: Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the fight over a modernist masterpiece
Description
In 1945, Edith Farnsworth asked the German architect Mies van der Rohe, already renowned for his avant-garde buildings, to design a weekend home for her outside of Chicago. Edith was a woman ahead of her time--unmarried, she was a distinguished medical researcher, whose discoveries put her in contention for the Nobel Prize, as well as an accomplished violinist, translator, and poet. The two quickly began an intimate relationship, spending weekends together, sharing interests in transcendental philosophy, Catholic mysticism, wine-soaked picnics, and architecture. Their collaboration would produce one of the most important works of architecture of all time, a blindingly original house made up almost entirely of glass and steel. But the minimalist marvel, built in 1951, was plagued by cost over-runs and a sudden chilling of the two friends' mutual affection. Though the building became world-famous, Farnsworth found it impossible to live in the transparent house, and she began a public campaign against him, cheered on by Frank Lloyd Wright. Mies, in turn, sued her for unpaid monies. The ensuing trial covered not just the missing funds and the structural weaknesses of the home, but turned into a trial of modernist art and architecture itself. Interweaving personal drama and cultural history, Alex Beam presents a stylish, enthralling tapestry of a tale, illuminating the fascinating history behind one of the twentieth-century's most beautiful and significant architectural projects.
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | ff85e0ad-81ff-ba54-efa3-ace1b9703615 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | broken glass mies van der rohe edith farnsworth and the fight over a modernist masterpiece |
Grouping Author | alex beam |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-20 13:58:19PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-25 01:38:56AM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Beam, Alex
author_display
Beam, Alex
display_description
In 1945, Edith Farnsworth asked the German architect Mies van der Rohe, already renowned for his avant-garde buildings, to design a weekend home for her outside of Chicago. Edith was a woman ahead of her time--unmarried, she was a distinguished medical researcher, whose discoveries put her in contention for the Nobel Prize, as well as an accomplished violinist, translator, and poet. The two quickly began an intimate relationship, spending weekends together, sharing interests in transcendental philosophy, Catholic mysticism, wine-soaked picnics, and architecture. Their collaboration would produce one of the most important works of architecture of all time, a blindingly original house made up almost entirely of glass and steel. But the minimalist marvel, built in 1951, was plagued by cost over-runs and a sudden chilling of the two friends' mutual affection. Though the building became world-famous, Farnsworth found it impossible to live in the transparent house, and she began a public campaign against him, cheered on by Frank Lloyd Wright. Mies, in turn, sued her for unpaid monies. The ensuing trial covered not just the missing funds and the structural weaknesses of the home, but turned into a trial of modernist art and architecture itself. Interweaving personal drama and cultural history, Alex Beam presents a stylish, enthralling tapestry of a tale, illuminating the fascinating history behind one of the twentieth-century's most beautiful and significant architectural projects.
format_category_louisville
Books
format_louisville
Book
id
ff85e0ad-81ff-ba54-efa3-ace1b9703615
isbn
9780399592713
itype_louisville
hardcover book
last_indexed
2024-04-25T07:38:56.986Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9780399592713
publishDate
2020
publisher
Random House
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Architecture and society -- United States -- History -- 20th century
Biographies
Farnsworth House (Plano, Ill.)
Farnsworth, Edith
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, -- 1886-1969
Biographies
Farnsworth House (Plano, Ill.)
Farnsworth, Edith
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, -- 1886-1969
title_display
Broken glass : Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the fight over a modernist masterpiece
title_full
Broken glass : Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the fight over a modernist masterpiece / Alex Beam
title_short
Broken glass
title_sub
Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the fight over a modernist masterpiece
topic_facet
Architecture and society
Farnsworth, Edith
History
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
Farnsworth, Edith
History
Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig
Solr Details Tables
item_details
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ils:.b29535992 | .i45316648 | Longmont Adult Nonfiction | 720.977 BEA | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | Aug 23, 2023 | lgnfa | ||||
ils:.b29535992 | .i45420865 | Boulder Main Adult NonFiction | 720.977309 Beam | 1 | false | false | Due May 11, 2024 | Jul 14, 2022 | bmnfa |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b29535992 | Book | Books | First Edition | English | Random House | [2020] | xii, 337 pages : illustrations, portraits, facsimiles ; 22 cm |
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