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Minnette De Silva. Sri Lankan. Modernist.
Mother of Regional Modernism. First Female Architect of Sri Lanka. Minnette De Silva is having a moment, with articles written on her in every trendy design magazine from Elle Decor to Wallpaper. Similarly to Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi , her form of modernism emphasizing local craft traditions and indigenous building techniques was incredibly prescient, although the importance of her work is only now getting the acknowledgment it deserves. Unlike Lina Bo Bardi, very fe
tipsy modernist
Jun 267 min read
Brutalism Is Trending. And For All The Wrong Reasons.
, The Hotel Marcel, formerly the Pirelli Tire building designed by Marcel Breuer and Robert Gatje around 1966. photo by the author...
tipsy modernist
May 110 min read
Art Smith. Black. Modernist. Jewelry Designer.
As a lover of all things modernist, especially jewelry, I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover the work of Art Smith. One of...
tipsy modernist
Feb 245 min read
The Greenwich Village- the perfect cocktail to celebrate the village that inspired Art Smith
The jewelry of Art Smith was inspired by many things, but I think it's safe to say that the biggest influence on his work was the artsy,...
tipsy modernist
Feb 241 min read
The Bienecke Rare Book Library
To Me, You Are Perfect (My Keira Knightley Building) Remember that scene in the movie "Love Actually" where the guy is holding up a bunch...
tipsy modernist
Oct 9, 20243 min read
Ken Adam: the man who made James Bond modern.
Long before Mad Men and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the early Bond movies introduced modernism into popular culture. Those modern...
tipsy modernist
Sep 10, 20246 min read
ISOKON
Imagine a private dining club designed by one of the hottest architects, with food provided by a celebrity chef, where creative types...
tipsy modernist
May 6, 202412 min read
Thinking Beyond the Frame
A new post from contributor Rose White, originally posted on the substack Little Mama Drama Architects and creatives have long...
tipsy modernist
Mar 12, 20243 min read
Will this year's Pritzker be the same old Kenergy?
March is here, and with it Women’ s History month. You’ll have to forgive me if I’m less than excited. March is also Oscar month. And the...
tipsy modernist
Feb 26, 20249 min read
Crawford House: Culture War Casualty
I know. Another article about Paul Rudolph!? Why, you ask? Well because a couple of weekends ago, Mr. Don't Bruise the Booze and I were...
tipsy modernist
Dec 13, 20234 min read
Carlo Scarpa: The Architect's Architect
Now regarded as one of Italy’s (and quite possibly the world's) greatest post-war architects, Carlo Scarpa was almost completely unknown...
tipsy modernist
Sep 11, 20233 min read
Gae Aulenti. Eccentric genius or provocateur?
"Her ranking in the international architectural fraternity is disputed, but her notoriety is assured. "1 Although Italian designer Gae...
tipsy modernist
Sep 11, 20235 min read
Lina Bo Bardi. Stalinist. anti-feminist. architect.
Lina Bo Bardi was a mass of contradictions. A self-described “Stalinist, anti-feminist” who “never faced any obstacles, not even as a...
tipsy modernist
Mar 29, 20235 min read
Philip Johnson Gay. Modernist. Nazi Sympathiser.
I know what you're thinking-why bother talking about Philip Johnson ? In 2020 both Harvard and MoMa removed his name from their buildings...
tipsy modernist
Dec 24, 20226 min read
Add Bates. Black. designer. performer. polymath.
I first heard about designer Add Bates while attending a lecture by art historian Kristina Wilson about her fascinating book “Mid-Century...
tipsy modernist
Oct 25, 20223 min read
Paul Rudolph: the brutalist architect whose buildings people love to hate
Photo courtesy of Paul Rudolph Foundation Beloved or reviled, (what brutalist isn't) Paul Rudolph's sculptural concrete buildings illicit...
tipsy modernist
Jun 30, 202211 min read
SVETLANA KANA : the Modernist from Montenegro
Now that Brutalism has been trending for a couple of years, Soviet-era Brutalism, and the work of Eastern European modernists are being...
tipsy modernist
Mar 29, 20226 min read
Hilyard Robinson. Modernist. Black Architect.
Born in Washington DC in 1899 into a working class family, Hilyard Robinson went on to become one of the most prolific architects in the...
tipsy modernist
Jun 18, 20213 min read
French Modernism
With the recent birthdays of Jean- Michel Frank, Robert- Mallet- Stevens and Jean Prouvé , it seems an appropriate time to celebrate the...
tipsy modernist
Apr 19, 20213 min read
Robert Mallet-Stevens. Architect. Dandy. Modernist.
Robert Mallet-Steven occupies a curious place in the history of architecture. Although his cubic, white plaster forms are clearly...
tipsy modernist
Apr 15, 20214 min read
Obsession, Betrayal, Jealousy and Modernism
The Modernists Guide to Cocktails is a meeting place for fans of modernism who love a good cocktail along with gossip about architecture's most notorious scandals. Conversely,it's also a site for cocktail lovers who happen to be design curious. It takes an unvarnished look at modernism via social histories, juicy anecdotes, and the favorite cocktails of the founders of modernism. And let's face it we all need a strong drink these days...
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