Breuer's Bohemia: The Architect, His Circle, and Midcentury Houses in New England

Breuer's Bohemia explores a vibrant period of midcentury modern design and culture through the influential New England houses designed by Marcel Breuer for his circle of clients and friends. The publication coincides with a documentary exploring Breuer's residential practice on the East Coast, featuring original research and interviews with principal characters from Breuer's circle and notable figures in architecture.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 14 September 2021
Publisher: Monacelli Press

Marcel Breuer, the renowned twentieth-century architect, left an indelible mark on residential architecture, often overshadowed by his early fame as a Bauhaus furniture maker and his large-scale projects. His Bohemia explores a vibrant period of midcentury modern design and culture, as seen through the influential New England houses designed for his circle of clients and friends.

Breuer's Bohemia surveys the houses he designed in Connecticut and Massachusetts from the 1950s through the 1970s, many commissioned by a few culturally progressive clients. This group, including Rufus and Leslie Stillman, Andrew and Jamie Gagarin, and other prominent cultural figures, formed a dynamic social circle around Breuer. This intersection of postwar architecture, art, and letters was unique, with Alexander Calder, Arthur Miller, Francine du Plessix Gray, Philip Roth, and William Styron among the notable participants.

The publication of Breuer's Bohemia coincides with the feature-length documentary of the same name by author and filmmaker James Crump. The documentary delves into Breuer's explosive residential practice on the East Coast, using original research and interviews to bring the voices of principal characters from Breuer's circle and notable figures from the field of architecture to life. The book is richly illustrated with vintage and contemporary photographs, as well as rarely seen archival materials, providing a unique glimpse into a twentieth-century milieu that produced an aesthetic, intellectual, and sometimes sybaritic community during a fertile period of American design and culture.

In conclusion, Marcel Breuer's Bohemia offers a captivating exploration of midcentury modern design and culture through the lens of his influential New England houses. By examining the designs commissioned by a diverse group of clients and friends, the book sheds light on the unique intersection of postwar architecture, art, and letters. The publication of Breuer's Bohemia alongside the documentary provides a comprehensive and immersive experience, bringing the history of this cultural atmosphere to life and highlighting the vital role played by Breuer and his circle of clients and friends.

Weight: 1546g
Dimension: 274 x 381 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781580935784