Frank Lloyd Wright And The Living City

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is acknowledged as America's greatest architect. By the first decade of the twentieth century he had reexamined all aspects of architecture, pioneering advanced applications of materials, transforming interior space into continuous interwoven areas, and redefining architectural programs for the new democratic society he envisioned. Over the next five decades, while fulfilling specific commissions, he continued to conceive of individual buildings as solutions to general problems. His designs can be grouped into nine typologies according to the basic human functions they were designed to serve: communal work, commerce, worship, learning, the arts, recreation, the community, individual dwelling, and communal dwelling. Near the end of his life, in 1958, Wright published The Living City, the final version of his vision of an ideal social order. All of his buildings and projects can be viewed as prototypes and models for a decentralized pattern of living that he offered as a blueprint for the future.

Frank Lloyd Wright And The Living City is a survey of Wright's career focused on these nine basic building types, exploring their evolution throughout his life. The book reveals his lifelong ideal of organic architecture, integrating buildings with their interior content and surrounding landscape or townscape. Edited by David G. De Long, it features essays on Wright’s vision, European reception, decorative arts, and the nine typologies, along with biographical insights. Accompanying a major exhibition organized by the Vitra Design Museum, this work provides enriched understanding of Wright’s visionary approach.