Part-Architecture: The Maison de Verre, Duchamp, Domesticity and Desire in 1930s Paris

Part-Architecture explores the Maison de Verre and Marcel Duchamps Large Glass through a material, historical, and conceptual analysis, challenging architectural descriptions and revealing new spatial and social accounts of their inhabitation in 1930s Paris. It establishes new ways of writing about architecture through creative projects and fuses analytical, descriptive, and creative processes to produce a unique social and architectural critique.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 12 February 2018
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Part-Architecture presents a comprehensive and innovative exploration of Pierre Chareau's Maison de Verre through the lens of another pivotal modernist artwork, Marcel Duchamp's Large Glass. By aligning the two works materially, historically, and conceptually, the book challenges the conventional architectural descriptions of the Maison de Verre, offers original spatial and social accounts of its inhabitation in 1930s Paris, and presents fresh architectural interpretations of the Large Glass. Through a rich analysis that incorporates creative projects into history and theory research, the book establishes new ways of writing about architecture.

Designed for politically progressive gynaecologist Dr. Jean Dalsace and his avant-garde wife, Annie Dalsace, the Maison de Verre seamlessly blends a family home with a gynaecology clinic into a 'free-plan layout.' Screened solely by glass walls, the presence of the clinic within the home suggests an untold dialogue on 1930s sexuality. The text delves into the Maison de Verre through another radical glass construction, the Large Glass, where Duchamp's intricate depiction of unconsummated sexual relations across the glass planes reveals his resistance to the marital conventions of 1920s Paris. This and other analyses of the Large Glass serve as a framework to examine the Maison de Verre as a record of the evolving history of women's domestic and maternal choices, reclaiming the building as a significant piece of female social architectural history.

The process employed to uncover and write the accounts in the book is termed 'part-architecture.' Derived from psychoanalytic theory, part-architecture fuses analytical, descriptive, and creative processes to produce a unique social and architectural critique. Identifying three essential materials to the Large Glass, the book is organized into three main chapters: 'Glass,' 'Dus,' and 'Sex.'

In the chapter titled 'Glass,' the book explores the materiality and transparency of glass as a key element in both the Maison de Verre and the Large Glass. It examines the ways in which glass walls create a sense of intimacy and connection while simultaneously separating and defining spaces. The text also discusses the historical significance.

In the chapter titled 'Dus,' the book delves into the concept of the 'ready-made' and its significance in Duchamp's artistic practice. It examines the ways in which Duchamp's use of everyday objects, such as the bottle rack and the glass, challenges traditional notions of art and creativity. The text also discusses the ways in which Duchamp's work intersects with architectural theories and practices of the time, particularly the concept of the 'open plan' and the 'free-plan layout.'

In the chapter titled 'Sex,' the book examines the sexual themes and symbolism present in both the Maison de Verre and the Large Glass. It explores the ways in which Duchamp's representations of unconsummated sexual relations across the glass planes challenge traditional notions of sexuality and gender roles. The text also discusses the ways in which the Maison de Verre and the Large Glass contribute to the broader discourse on 1930s sexuality and gender politics.

Through its comprehensive analysis and innovative approach, Part-Architecture offers a fresh perspective on Pierre Chareau's Maison de Verre and Marcel Duchamp's Large Glass. It challenges conventional architectural descriptions, offers original spatial and social accounts, and presents new architectural readings. By incorporating creative projects into history and theory research, the book establishes new ways of writing about architecture. Whether you are an architect, historian, or art enthusiast, this book will provide you with a deeper understanding of these seminal and influential works and their impact on the history and theory of architecture.

Weight: 498g
Dimension: 175 x 246 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138490482