Architecture of Great Expositions 1937-1959: Messages of Peace, Images of War

Dr Vladimir Paperny, Rika Devos, Dr Alexander Ortenberg

Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., Nov 28, 2015 - Architecture - 256 pages

This book investigates architecture as a form of diplomacy in the context of the Second World War at six major European international and national expositions that took place between 1937 and ’59. The volume gives a fascinating account of architecture assuming the role of the carrier of war-related messages, some of them camouflaged while others quite frank. The book provides a novel assessment of modern architecture’s involvement with national representation it also argues that this widespread confidence in architecture’s ability to act as a propaganda tool was one of the reasons why Modernist architecture lent itself to the service of such different masters.

Contents

• Soviet Journal Arhitektura za Rubežom 1935 compared: 43
• Fascist Italys New Brand of Nationalism: 51
• The Japanese: 71
• Hot and Cold War in Architecture of Soviet Pavilions: 91
• The Visual Politics of Britishness: 115
• Let us now invest in peace Architecture at Expo 58: 133
• Franquista Spain at Expo 58: 161
• Yugoslavia at Expo 58: 179
• Images of War and Messages of Peace The American Story: 195
• Selected Bibliography: 213

About the author

Rika Devos is assistant professor at the BATir-AIA department, Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), where she teaches post-war history of construction and architecture, theory of architecture and design studio. Trained as an engineer architect, she obtained her Ph.D in 2008 with a dissertation entitled Modern at Expo 58. Discussions on post-war representation (Ghent University). Rika Devos’ research focuses on exhibition architecture and post-war architecture and construction history. In 2006, she co-edited Pour un monde plus humain. L’architecture moderne à l’Expo 58. She participates in international congresses on architecture and construction history and contributed to books and international journals such as Construction History, ICE Engineering History and Heritage, Planning Perspectives, Le Culture della Tecnica, DASH, etc. Alexander Ortenberg earned his MArch from the Moscow Institute of Architecture and his PhD from UCLA. His research interests include the history of architectural practices, the history of representation, and the history of exposition architecture. His doctoral dissertation, Drawing Practices: The Art and the Craft of Architectural Representation, focuses on the emergence of American working drawings at the turn of the 20th century. His recent publications include 'Joy in the Act of Drawing: Maybeck’s Palace of Fine Arts,' published in JSAH in March 2011. He currently teaches architectural history and theory and design at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. Vladimir Paperny received his MA in design from the Stroganov Art Academy in Moscow, and his PhD in Cultural Studies from the Russian State University for the Humanities. His PhD thesis, Architecture in the age of Stalin. Culture Two was published in Russian (Moscow, 1996, 2006) and in English (Cambridge University Press, 2003, 2011). Since moving to the US in 1981, Dr. Paperny was visiting professor at USC, Woodrow Wilson Center, and Bristol University, UK. He also worked as Art Director (Orange Coast Magazine, The Workbook). He is currently a visiting professor at UCLA, but continues working at his design studio in Los Angeles. His articles, essays and columns (appear in such publications as Snob, Architectural Digest, Project Russia, Speech and many others. His collections of essays include Mos Angleles, Mos Angeles-2 (NLO, 2004, 2009) and Fuck Context? (TATLIN, 2011).

Bibliographic information

• Title: Architecture of Great Expositions 1937-1959: Messages of Peace, Images of War; Ashgate Studies in Architecture
• Editors: Dr Vladimir Paperny, Rika Devos, Dr Alexander Ortenberg
• Edition: illustrated, revised
• Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2015
• ISBN: 1472434609, 9781472434609
• Length: 256 pages
• Subjects: Architecture / Criticism; Architecture / History / General; Architecture / Urban & Land Use Planning