Masterworks on Stamps
Blair Kamin reports on the United States Post Office's 2005 Commemorative Stamp Program's twelve stamps titled "Masterworks of Modern American Architecture."
I could only skim Kamin's piece, since in the very first paragraph he rips on his least favorite building, Soldier Field. He says, "I often write about BIG THINGS -- skyscrapers that soar into the clouds, exhibition halls bigger than 14 football fields, blockbusting stadiums that tower over their neighborhoods" (my italics). I think BK needs to get over this; he lost the fight to stop the renovation and he needs to move on.
Regardless, he whines about Chicago buildings (SOM's Hancock and Mies' 860/880 LSD) being featured only on two stamps. That's two of twelve. Sixteen percent. One less than New York City. That's plenty, to me.
The twelve stamps are:
:: Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright
:: Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry
:: Yale Art and Architecture Building by Paul Rudolph
:: Chrysler Building by William Van Alen
:: 860/880 Lake Shore Drive by Mies van der Rohe
:: High Museum of Art by Richard Meier
:: Vanna Venturi House by Robert Venturi
:: East Building of the National Gallery of Art by I.M. Pei
:: Phillips Exeter Academy Library by Louis I. Kahn
:: TWA Terminal by Eero Saarinen
:: Glass House by Philip Johnson
:: Hancock Center by SOM
More information on the stamps can be found on the USPS Press Release.
I could only skim Kamin's piece, since in the very first paragraph he rips on his least favorite building, Soldier Field. He says, "I often write about BIG THINGS -- skyscrapers that soar into the clouds, exhibition halls bigger than 14 football fields, blockbusting stadiums that tower over their neighborhoods" (my italics). I think BK needs to get over this; he lost the fight to stop the renovation and he needs to move on.
Regardless, he whines about Chicago buildings (SOM's Hancock and Mies' 860/880 LSD) being featured only on two stamps. That's two of twelve. Sixteen percent. One less than New York City. That's plenty, to me.
The twelve stamps are:
:: Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright
:: Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry
:: Yale Art and Architecture Building by Paul Rudolph
:: Chrysler Building by William Van Alen
:: 860/880 Lake Shore Drive by Mies van der Rohe
:: High Museum of Art by Richard Meier
:: Vanna Venturi House by Robert Venturi
:: East Building of the National Gallery of Art by I.M. Pei
:: Phillips Exeter Academy Library by Louis I. Kahn
:: TWA Terminal by Eero Saarinen
:: Glass House by Philip Johnson
:: Hancock Center by SOM
More information on the stamps can be found on the USPS Press Release.
[Moved by web page administrator from original HaloScan comment box]:Not a bad batch, all considering. I'd have swapped Eames' case study house for the Venturi. I'm not sure the High Musem belongs in the mix either. I think Meier has a number of houses that are stonger than that project. Ditto on Guggenheim, but I can understand why the USPS preferred monumental public buildings over houses. Indignant provincial masturbation is tiresome, but seems to sell well in our fair city.
ReplyDelete[Moved by web page administrator from original HaloScan comment box]:I'm impressed that they actually picked some buildings of architectural importance instead of the popular idea of it (Sears Tower, Empire State, Epcot Center...) I'm also extremely disappointed The Adaptive Reuse of Soldier Field was not included.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they could come out with the Indignant Provincial Masturbation Stamp Collection with Fallingwater, etc...
[Moved by web page administrator from original HaloScan comment box]:Hey John-
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting about these. I just spent way too long lookiing up good links for all the buildings chosen for the series and posted them on my site. With a credit to Archidose, of course. I love your site - it'd be great if you could send me some shots for my Crimes Against Urbanity series.