Yale University Press Publishes its First-ever Monograph on Deborah Berke

Written by Jack Hendrix Monday, 27 June 2011 21:40

 

NEW HAVEN, CT - Featuring 21 projects that span her more than 25 years as an architect, the newly released Deborah Berke book provides provocative insight into how one of the world’s true modern architects conceives of and approaches her work—both the projects that have made her famous and many that the public has never seen before. Whether one peruses the nearly 250 images or digs deep in the book’s engaging essays, the result is a rich understanding of the genius of Deborah Berke--a genius that isn’t self-conscious or ostentatious, but rooted in restraint, integrity, and context.

“We have always pursued ideas done simply and beautifully,” says Berke. “This, of course, feels appropriate given today’s economic situation.” This way of thinking, how Berke seeks to balance visibility with subtlety, permeates all of the firm’s work. What Berke’s clients and admirers would say is that the firm’s work transcends time.

Written by Tracy Myers, curator at the Heinz Architectural Center of the Carnegie Museum of Art, the book’s essays underscore the relevance that Berke’s work holds today. From the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, to the Irwin Union Bank in the architecturally renowned city of Columbus, Indiana, to the Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York City, Myers’ DEBORAH BERKE gives us behind-the-scenes access to one of the most important architects currently at work.

Deborah Berke, FAIA, creates buildings that have presence and character - that rely on a discourse between a subtle hand and bold composition to become arresting architecture. In an evolution of her "philosophy of the everyday," which earned her international renown, her work over the past decade is decidedly of a larger scale—distinguished by mixed-use, hospitality, retail, and arts-related buildings.

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