How an architect youve probably never heard of inspired. Pdf the article examines henri labroustes bibliotheque saintegenevieve in. Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by henri labrouste. Lucien magne, author of larchitecture francaise du siecle, the first history of. At his death it contained more than 650,000 printed books and some 80,000 manuscripts. Proper usage and audio pronunciation of the word henri labrouste. Henri labrouste was a glum and scholarly man, a nineteenthcentury french architect who competed, often unsuccessfully, for state commissions, built a couple of libraries, and rarely ventured far. The two magisterial glassandiron reading rooms he built in paris gave form to the idea of the modern library as a collective civic space. Structure brought to light, the museum of modern arts zenithally illuminating exhibition of labroustes tightly focused career, explicitly juxtaposes his buildings and his pen. Essays by a range of international architecture scholars explore labroustes work and legacy, offering fresh historical perspectives on the architect and his structural innovations. Structure brought to light celebrates the impact of this 19th century architect on space, materials, luminosity and on great places of assembly. Henri labrouste is one of the few 19thcentury architects who have been lionized consistently as precursors of modern architecture throughout the 20th century and into our own time.
Wrought iron and cast iron, used to great structural and esthetic effect in. Structure brought to life,henri labrouste etruscan tomb, known as delle bighe, corneto nowadays tarquinia. Winner, alice davis hitchcock award, society of architectural historians. These are not books i purchased they are far too expensive for my wallet but they are some of the few books on modern architecture that i. Pierrefrancois henri labrouste was born in paris in 1801, one of four sons born to lawyer francoismarie labrouste. Plan of the ceiling and elevation of the back wall. Structure brought to light barry bergdoll, corinne belier, and marc le coeur eds. At the age of eight, labrouste joined the reputable college saintebarbe in paris, before being admitted into the second class of the ecole royale des beauxarts in 1819. The exhibition runs at moma in new york, until june 24, 20 over 200 works, from original drawings to vintage and modern photographs, films, and. This offlimits room in the national library of france is home to a system of pneumatic tubes, once used to bring books to readers.
The show is conservative in the sense that historian of the hook roger chartier suggests that writingand here, arguably, drawingis conservative. Structure brought to light, the first solo exhibition of labroustes work in the us, establishes his work as a milestone in the modern evolution of architecture. After a sixyear stay in rome, labrouste established an architectural training workshop, which soon became known for rationalism. It shows how these four architects dominated their profession during the monarchy of july and the second empire of napoleon iii, producing. The two magisterial glassandiron reading rooms labrouste built in paris from the 1840s through the 1860s gave form to the idea of the modern library as a great. In the same display case that houses drexlers catalog, bergdoll places books by the modernist historian sigfried gideon known best for his. The show will feature over 200 works, from drawings to watercolors to. Henri labrouste skip to main search results amazon prime. Romanticism, rationalism and the bibliotheque saintegenevieve article pdf available in art history 285. With the transfer of millions of books and periodicals to perraults library, these storied spaces were up for grabs. Labrouste reading room paris, france atlas obscura. Edited by barry bergdoll, corinne belier, and marc le coeur. Barry bergdoll, the philip johnson chief curator of architecture and design at the museum of modern art, takes artinfo on a tour of henri labroustes structure brought to light. Discover the work of henri labrouste, one of frances most important architects.
Henri labrouste, at the museum of modern art the new york times. The architect responsible for its restoration, bruno gaudin, explains the logic behind his adaptation of its historic rooms in order to make them more accessible. The exhibition includes over 200 works, from original drawingsmany of them watercolors of haunting beauty and precisionto vintage and modern photographs, films, architectural models, and fragments. See more ideas about architecture, beautiful library and ste genevieve. Henri labrouste, inventor of the modern library, gets a moma retrospective misc happy birthday henri labrouste. Henri labrouste 18011875 spent six years studying architecture in rome. His theoretical reconstruction though based on accurate sitesurveys of the doric temples at paestum 1829 was described later by violletleduc as a revolution on.
Structure brought to light is the condensed result of several years of research, initially involving the participation of many in paris and now brought to fruition under the expert guidance of barry bergdoll, momas philip johnson chief curator of. Etruscan tomb, known as delle bighe, corneto nowadays tarquinia. Following a series of regime changes in france, it became the imperial national library and in 1868 was moved to newly constructed buildings on. Structure brought to light again assigned labrouste a privileged position in the development of modern architecture, an interpretive lens that is hardly surprising given momas renown as an institution synonymous with the historical evolution the avantgarde. Howe and lescazes unbuilt 1932 housing proposal for the empty site between chrystie and forsyth streets in the lower east side of new york city has assumed an important place in. Michel nguyen henri labrouste, bibliotheque saintegenevieve, 18381850. Lagneau negotiated with the fire department to hide the modern infrastructure in order to maintain labroustes. Henri labrouste, french architect important for his early use of iron frame construction. He enrolled at the ecole des beaux arts in 1819 under vaudoyer and levas, and won the grand prix in 1924. The architecture of functional artistry in henri labrouste.
How an architect youve probably never heard of inspired the modern library. Henri labrouste, at the museum of modern art the new. Paris, 1875 pierre francois henri labrouste was born in paris in 1801. The question today might no longer be how to make use of the past, but rather how to contend with a future that will have less and less use for printed matter and, it would seem, for history itself. Structure brought to light, at the museum of modern art, is elegant and astringent, like labroustes work. Structure brought to life,henri labrouste 18011875. The bibliotheque richelieu in paris, one of henri labrouste s masterpieces, has recently reopened to the public and is now a strategic centre for education and national culture. Labrouste also designed building so that a majority of the books sixty thousand were in the. The bibliotheque saintegenevieve in paris, by henri labrouste built 184350. Architecte, 18011875 by labrouste, henri saddy, pierre and over 100 bw illustrations including plans jan 1, 1977 paperback.
The henri labrouste exhibition at the museum of modern art casts this. Pierrefrancoishenri labrouste 11 may 1801 24 june 1875 was a french architect from the. Books by henri nouwen the canon chronological this is the chronological listing of henri nouwens work his canon. Henri labrouste is one of the few nineteenthcentury architects consistently lionized as a precursor of modern architecture throughout the twentieth century and into our own time. It is the first public building to have a frankly exposed structural iron frame. Bibliotheque saintegenevieve is a public and university. Information about henri labrouste in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms.
The architecture of functional artistry in henri labroustes designs. Essays by a range of international architecture scholars explore labroustes work and. Structure brought to light, the first solo exhibition of labroustes work in the united states, highlights his work as a key milestone in the evolution of modern architecture, libraries in particular. Lebas, and then at the french academy in rome, where he mixed with the future leaders of the profession in france. Henri labrouste is without doubt the midnineteenthcentury architect whose work was the most important for the future, giedion wrote. To reinforce this connection, the exhibitions organizers. Henri labrouste s two seminal paris libraries were of keen interest to hitchcock in particular, not least for the way their frank expression of new mate rialsiron, and gas for lightcreated unprecedented urban and communal spaces. Structure brought to light, on display in the third floors special exhibition.