THE FURNITURE OF R. M. SCHINDLER
Marla C. Berns [Editor], David and Patricia Gebhard [essay]
Marla C. Berns [Editor], David and Patricia Gebhard [essay]: THE FURNITURE OF R. M. SCHINDLER. Santa Barbara: University Art Museum, 1997. First edition [limited to 2,500 copies]. Quarto. Photo illustrated wrappers. Printed vellum endsheets. 174 pp. 154 black and white photos, illustrations and diagrams. Wrappers lightly sctratched due to price sticker removal, otherwise a fine copy.
8.25 x 10.75 softcover book with 176 pages, and 154 photos, illustrations and diagrams. Catalogue for the Exhibition at the Art Galleries, University of California, Santa Barbara, from November 24, 1996 to February 2, 1997.
- Foreword/acknowledgements
- The Furniture of R. M. Schindler
- About Furniture by R. M. Schindler
- Furniture and the Modern House: A Theory of Interior Design (Part 1) by R. M. Schindler
- Furniture and the Modern House: A Theory of Interior Design (Part 2) by R. M. Schindler
- A Catalogue of selected projects
- Kings Road House
- Lovell Beach House
- Lowes House
- How House
- Sachs Apartment
- Levin House
- Braxton Gallery
- Wolfe House
- Freeman House
- Elliot House
"Each of my buildings deal with a different architectural problem, the existence of which has been forgotten in this period of Rational Mechanization. The question of whether a house is really a house is more important to me, than the fact that it is made of steel, glass, putty or hot air." — R. M. Schindler
Hailing from Vienna, Rudolph Michael Schindler (1887-1953), like his colleague Richard Neutra, emigrated to the US and applied his International Style techniques to the movement that would come to be known as California Modernism. Influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and taking cues from spatial notions found in cubism, he developed a singular style characterized by geometrical shapes, bold lines, and association of materials such as wood and concrete, as seen in his own Hollywood home (built in 1921-22) and the house he designed for P.M. Lovell in Newport Beach (1923-24).
“Each room in the house represents a variation on the constructive architectural theme. This theme corresponds to the principle requirements for protecting a tent: a protected back, an open front, an open fireplace and a roof. Each room has a concrete wall at the rear and a large front opening onto the garden with sliding doors. The shape of the rooms and their relationship to the patios and various roof levels creates a totally new spatial concept between the interior and the garden.” — R. M. Schindler
Today, Schindler is finally being regarded as an outstanding exponent of the Californian modernist style. His marginalized historical status traditionally has resulted from the architects' refusal to mimic the streamlined image of the popular modern architecture of the times. In 1932, when Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock organized the exhibition The International Style, they failed in invite Schindler. His prodigious output until his death in 1953, helped him eventually escape the shadow of his compatriot Richard Neutra. Schindler designed over 500 buildings, more than 150 of which, mostly family residences, were actually built. His own residence in Kings Road, Hollywood (1922), and the beach house he designed for Philip Lovell (1926), has a lasting influence on the development of modern architecture in California.