Louis I. Kahn: The Last Notebook: Four Freedoms Memorial, Roosevelt Island, New York

An intimate record of Kahn's musings on design, coupled with preparatory drawings of his monumental last project. Published in honor of the 50th anniversary of his death in March 1974, this volume is a facsimile of the notebook in which Louis Kahn drew and wrote during his last year of life. Anchored by a magnificent set of preparatory drawings for his monument of Franklin Roosevelt in New York City, the notebook provides an intimate glimpse into private sketches of Kahn's final projects and his poetic reflections on thematic preoccupations, such as "Silence to Light," "Form and Design," "Society of Rooms" and "Desire to Express." Scholarly commentary and transliterations accompany all of his musings. Born in Estonia, Louis Kahn (1901-74) immigrated with his family to Philadelphia when he was four years old. Kahn received Beaux-Arts training at the University of Pennsylvania, under the French-educated Paul Philippe Cret, and then adopted his own idiosyncratic modernism, which would engender the heterogeneous "Philadelphia school." His architectural career did not take off until later in life; he attained his first major commission to design Yale University's Art Gallery in 1951. Upon its completion, Kahn received many international commissions, and he developed a signature style that was monumental, monolithic and transparent in its functionality. He was awarded the AIA Gold Medal and the RIBA Gold Medal. AUTHORS: Sue Ann Kahn is the daughter of Louis Kahn. Formerly a professor at Bennington College she is on faculty at Columbia University and the Mannes College of Music. Michael J. Lewis is on faculty at Williams College and is the architecture critic for the Wall Street Journal. SELLING POINTS: . Louis Kahn was one of the United States' greatest 20th-century architects, known for combining modernism with the weight and dignity of ancient monuments. . Published in honor of the 50th anniversary of Kahn's death (March 1974), this facsimile of the notebook in which Louis Kahn drew and wrote during his last year of life is anchored by a magnificent set of drawings illustrating the final design of the Monument to Franklin Roosevelt in New York City. The notebook provides an intimate glimpse into private sketches of Kahn's final projects and his poetic reflections on iconic themes. 59 illustrations

Review :
A remarkable creation...delivers an intimate reflection of, and connection to, an architect who could embed physical objects with deep feeling; carving out space, light and spirit.--Sam Lubell "The New York Times: Arts" It would take a full 50 years for Kahn's last notebook to be reprinted -- meticulously, down to the selection of translucent paper and the empty pages that constitute the latter half of the notebook.--John Hill "World Architects"