This stunning two-volume publication introduces readers to one of the largest private collections of architectural drawings in the world. Showcasing drawings and related models and artefacts dating from 1691 to the mid 20th century, this lavish tome includes both a catalogue and innovative texts by leading authorities and provides a fascinating look at these striking by-products of architectural training and practice.
Living with Architecture as Art introduces amateurs and specialists alike to the Peter May Collection, one of the largest private collections of architectural drawings in the world. Assembled over 30 years by investor and philanthropist Peter May, the collection is comprised of more than 700 sheets that have all been carefully preserved.
Principally consisting of 19th- or early 20th-century competition or certification drawings by design students, the collection also includes presentation drawings for public commissions, reconstruction studies or interior designs. The catalogue, arranged by category, demonstrates May’s inclination towards specific building types such as commercial or cultural institutions, train stations and spas, landmarks and monuments, private and royal residences, and cast-iron architecture. Also included is a category for landscape designs and garden architecture.
The extensive catalogue and texts by leading authorities present the raison-d’être for
the production and preservation of these sometimes neglected artworks. Maureen Cassidy- Geiger discusses the formation of the collection and with Basile Baudez introduces the French system of architectural education, from which some of the finest drawings come. Charles Hind offers a history of design training in Britain and writes about patterns of collecting and the market for architectural drawings and Matthew Wells discusses the history of architectural models. In his introduction May informs the reader about his history as a collector and builder.
Maureen Cassidy-Geiger is a curator and scholar with special expertise in European decorative arts, patterns of collecting and display and the history of architecture, court culture, gardening and travel. Her most recent book on architecture was The Philip Johnson Glass House: An architect in the Garden (Rizzoli, 2016). Charles Hind, FSA, is Chief Curator of Drawings at RIBA in London. A Palladio specialist, he was with Sotheby’s, 1986–93, as their expert in architectural drawings and British watercolors. Basile Baudez
is Assistant Professor in the Department of Art & Archaeology, Princeton University, previously at Paris- Sorbonne University, University of Pennsylvania and at the Pratt Institute. Matthew Wells is Lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the ETH (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule) in Zurich. His dissertation ‘Architectural models and the professional practice of the architect, 1834-1916’ was awarded the Theodor- Fischer Prize from the Zentralinstituts für Kunstgeschichte in Munich.
Foreword by Peter May
Introduction by Maureen Cassidy-Geiger
The Beaux-Arts Tradition by Basile Baudez and Maureen Cassidy-Geiger
Architectural Education and the Art of Drawing in Britain by Charles Hind
The Architectural Drawings Market, Past and Present by Charles Hind
Carpenters and Craftsmen, Architects and Collectors: A short history of the Architectural Model by Matthew Wells
The Catalogue
1. Theaters, Museums, and Clubs
2. Schools and Centers of Learning
3. Government Buildings
4. Places of Worship
5. Train Stations
6. Hotels and Spas
7. Commerce
8. Private and Royal Residences, Urban and Suburban Housing
9. Interiors, Interior Design and Decoration
10. Construction Drawings
11. Reconstruction Drawings
12. Landmarks, Monuments, and Mausolea
13. Landscape Design and Garden Architecture
14. Cast-iron Architecture and Design
15. A Plantar Archive
Architectural Models
Booklets of Drawings
Afterwords by Mark Ferguson and Bunny Williams
Concordance
Indexes
ISBN
9781912168194Title
Living with Architecture as Art: The Peter May Collection of Architectural Drawings, Models and ArtefactsAuthor
Maureen Cassidy-Geiger, Charles Hind, Basile Baudez, Matthew Wells, Mark Ferguson, Bunny WilliamsPublisher
Paul Holberton PublishingPublication year
2021Binding
HardcoverLanguage
English
