Author Description

A Publication of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Wexner Center for the Arts, Ohio State University Perfect Acts of Architecture presents six sets of highly inventive drawings by the contemporary avant-garde architects Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi, Daniel Libeskind, and Thom Mayne. Created between 1972 and 1988, when many architects turned to teaching because economic conditions had drastically curtailed building commissions, these works reflect the period's intellectual debates and demonstrate graphic experimentation as a proactive mode of research. Each suite of drawings, fully illustrated with superb reproductions, offers great insight into the creative processes of six young designers, who went on to establish major international reputations. To put this "paper architecture" into a broader historical context, Kipnis and Riley provide introductory texts as well as concise commentaries on each of the projects. 155 illustrations, 48 in full color, 69 in duotone, 172 pages, 8 x 10"