Ornament is crime

Another book from Phaidon I picked is ‘Ornament is crime’. Named after manifesto of Adolf Loos ‘Ornament and crime’. Many people believe that Loos himself wrote ‘Ornament is a crime’, however, in his manifesto, it is never explicitly said. He also never forbade the ornament, but rather called for a moderation. And from this, the whole modernist style arose. New methods of construction made this possible. Embracing minimalism, use of flat roofs and basic shapes, large ribbon windows, limited color pallete. All these traits can be seen in modernist buildings. All these can be seen from the outside. From the inside, you can notice open plan interiors. And all this is captured in this beautiful book.

In the same manner as ‘This brutal world’ shows us the best brutalist architecture, this book shows many extraordinary examples of modernist architecture. Again, only in black and white to highlight the form of an architecture. Simple and neat.

Over 200 pages and more than 300 pictures, showing the best, cleanest and crispiest architecture that can be found in the world. From Prague through Buenost Aires to Japan. Thousands kilometers away, yet those buildings share the common traits. Clean lines,  seamless surfaces and no ornaments.

If you buy this book, you will get a great coffee table book. And architects need a lot of those. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places, but why not to try traditional book? This one is beautifully organized, the pictures are amazing and it simply pleases eye of every architecture enthusiast.

The text is scarce, however it makes the right kind of impact. Quotes and poems tied to the modernism. Maybe it is more a photoalbum than book. Beautiful pictures, some from times that has passed, some contemporary. Stunning images frozen in time.

For every lover of architecture this is a must-have. Amazing pictures, not much more, yet more than enough.

You can get it here.

Cheers