Figures

Rob Krier

ISBN 10: 393668166X / ISBN 13: 9783936681666

Published by Edition Axel Menges, DE, 2012

About this Item

The architect is at all times also an artist. How otherwise would he be able to tame the three-dimensionality of space and subdue the urges of physics and structural mechanics with the creations of his fantasy? This creativity is however mostly restricted purely to its own field. Rob Krier is an exception. For years, he has seen his love of art as a vocation -- one which he nurtures parallel to his work in construction. Fine art should stand in dialogue with architecture and it is Krier's ambition to have iconographic themes brought into the latter, so that they might speak equally to both the occupants of a building and to bystanders, moving them to thoughtful reflection. In his contribution to the European Embankment project in St Petersburg, Krier recently demonstrated the power of architecture and fine art to cross-fertilise. The architects in charge of the urban development of this district are Sergei Tchoban and Evgeny Gerasimov. Krier designed the façade for a 132-metres long building on the Newa riverbank one that looks across the water onto the rear façade of the Hermitage. The vibrancy of the architecture is enhanced by its sculptural ornamentation based on the Balzac theme, 'The Human Comedy'. In this regard, Krier modelled over 50 figures in white clay, as well as around 65 linear metres of reliefs. The short poems that comment on the sculptures also centre on the theme of mankind and its interrelationships in society.

Seller Inventory # LU-9783936681666

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Figures
• Publisher: Edition Axel Menges, DE
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 393668166X
• ISBN 13: 9783936681666
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 971 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Among contemporary architectural theorists and practitioners Rob Krier is one of the most controversial and respected. Born in Luxembourg in 1938 he is known worldwide for his masterful architectural accomplishments through projects such as De Resident in The Hague (1993–2001), or the Cité Judiciaire in Luxembourg (1992–2008). Besides his actual profession Krier has for years also made a vocation of his love of art.

In his contribution to the European Embankment project in St. Petersburg, Krier recently demonstrated the power of architecture and fine art to cross-fertilise. He designed the façade for a 132-metres long building on the Newa riverbank—one that looks across the water onto the rear façade of the Hermitage for which he modelled more than 50 figures in white clay, as well as around 65 linear metres of reliefs.

About the Author

Rob Krier is an architect and influential theorist for architecture and urban planning. He was professor at Vienna Technical University from 1976 to 1998 and, in 1986, held a guest professorship at Yale University in New Haven, CT.