Category Archives: Print

Lautner A-Z is coming!

Are you interested in purchasing the English edition of Lautner A-Z, the new book by Tycho Saariste and Jan-Richard Kikkert? It isn’t available yet but when it is you can buy it from the Foundation. To make sure you are notified when we receive the copies, please complete this simple form.

About the book:

Lautner A-Z

An Exploration of the Complete Built Work

by Jan-Richard Kikkert & Tycho Saaristewith an introduction by Alan Hess

English version to be released Spring 2019

paperback, size: 6.7 x 9.4 inch (17 x 24 cm)386 pages with aprox. 500 b&w and colour images

Publisher: ArtEZ Press

From the front flap:

The American architect John Lautner (1911-1994) was well ahead of his time. His original, unconventional and very versatile oeuvre was never repetitive. His concern for the dreams and desires of his clients, his sensitivity to the location of his buildings and his interest in the latest technical developments in were constants in his work.

Lautner blurred the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, between nature and architecture.Lautner’s oeuvre spans more than half a century, from his first independent commission in 1939 until his death in 1994. In this time period he carried out 144 of his designs, 103 of which are still standing. Most of them are located in and around Los Angeles.

Lautner’s work developed greatly throughout the years: he started off close to his mentor Frank Lloyd Wright and ended with an uninhibited, unique and personal architectural style.

This book provides an unprecedented treasury of information about all of Lautner’s built works. It is an odyssey, the story of two architects on a mission: Jan-Richard Kikkert and Tycho Saariste located, visited and described all the surviving buildings. This began with finding the correct addresses through Google Earth and ended with studying dusty rolls of drawings in owners’ attics. Each house visit is described separately, with a focus on striking architectonic elements, the locations and the clients.

Kikkert and Saariste also conducted extensive (archival) research on buildings that no longer exist and designs that were never built. The book is richly illustrated, often with photographs made specially for this book.

‘The purpose of architecture is to improve human life.’ John Lautner

‘After years of indefatigable research, Tycho and Jan-Richard’s book adds an invaluable resource for our understanding of Lautner. The contentiousness around Lautner’s work was probably inevitable, given his particular genius. For him, architecture was about finding the creative and perfect solution to the problem without concern for precedent, tradition, or fashion.’ Alan Hess

On the Market: Aldrich Residence with Lautner Pool

Curbed LA announced the sale of a residence formerly owned by film director Robert Aldrich, noting that it contains an addition by John Lautner. See the article. In fact, Lautner did three projects for Aldrich, each at a different location. Only the third appears to have been built: a pool and den at the residence currently for sale, completed in 1978. The pool still exists but it is difficult to determine what, if anything, is left of the den addition.

Pool by Lautner
Pool by Lautner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph by Tycho Saariste

 

LA Times’ “Home of the Week” Features Stevens’ Residence

The September 6, 2013 edition of LA Times’ Home of the Week features the 1968 Stevens Residence, for sale by noted modernist rescuer Michael LaFetra. In other articles, LaFetra notes that he is expecting a baby in his life and that baby-proofing this home would damage its architectural character. LaFetra spent significant amounts of time and money restoring the elegant beach home to near-original, and enjoyed living there. Even Stevens’ daughter, invited to visit, is delighted with its current condition. The home is more than suitable for a family, as Stevens’ own experience testifies, but yes, it would be tricky for a toddler. We can expect that LaFetra will take care that the next owner is right for it.

Stevens69

Chemosphere Labeled one of the Most Iconic Homes by U.K. Magazine

InfiniteSpace_Chemosphere_SARA SACKNERThe September 2013 edition of Grand Designs, a British magazine based on a television show of the same name, lists the Chemosphere (Malin residence) as one of “the most iconic homes of the twentieth century”. The article notes that the six homes chosen in the article have all “played key roles in redefining the benchmark for modern residential architecture”. The chemosphere shares space with Wright’s FallingWater, Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye,Shigeru Ban’s “paper house”, Gerrit Rietveld’s Schroder house, and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth house.

The article, which begins on page 139 of the September issue, features the Chemosphere on the first page.

 

Visit the Foundation bookstore

The JLFoundation is an Amazon “Associate”. This means that we can sell books for Amazon and get a cut of the profits. When you buy through the Foundation’s link, even if it is not an item that is in our “store”, the Foundation benefits. Bookmark this link now:

http://www.johnlautner.org/wp/?page_id=91

And whenever you are interested in purchasing anything from Amazon, start there! It won’t cost you anything extra but it will benefit the Foundation.

A recent addition to our bookstore is an interesting little book on Models of Lautner architecture, by Thomas Demand. As with some other Lautner books, there are few copies left. Act now to get the best price. Thanks to Jan-Richard Kikkert for finding this book.

 

L.A. Times Covers Imminent Shusett Demo

The Los Angeles Times Arts & Culture section is featuring a story on the proposed Shusett demolition Saturday, August 21, 2010. The writer appears to position the house as a “minor work” because it is not well-known. The fact that the house has undergone extensive remodeling over the years, not to the benefit of the initial design concept, is not mentioned.

Read the article.

The Annotated Bibliography: bio and biblio in one

excerpt from Cover of annotated bibliography
excerpt from cover

John Crosse, retired environmental engineer, has a penchant for research and a gift for doing it well. Because of his interest in architectural history, particularly in southern California, he offered to create an annotated bibliography of publications on the work of John Lautner. And now he is sharing it with all of us.

Crosse’s bibliography includes many photographs from the publications he includes, as well as significant events in the life of John Lautner, so that one can track projects, clients, and other events along with the publicity given to his work.

Read Crosse’s introduction on his website and download the bibliography yourself:

http://socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/2010/04/introduction-2008-hammer-exhibition.html

You might also want to visit his facebook page (the link is on his site) and add him as a friend to keep track of his many activities.