Julius Shulman - Modernism Rediscovered

New abridged version

The buildings burned in our memories, which to us represent the spirit of fifties and sixties architectural design, were those whose pictures were widely published in magazines and books; but what about those pictures that got lost in the process, hardly or never appearing in publication?

The exchange of visual information is crucial to the development, evolution, and promotion of architectural movements. If a building is not widely seen, its photograph rarely or never published, it simply does not enter into architectural discourse. Many buildings photographed by Julius Shulman suffered this fate, their images falling into oblivion. With this book, TASCHEN brings them to light, paying homage to California Modernism in all its forms.

The abandoned files of Julius Shulman show us another side of Modernism that has stayed quiet for so many years. Bringing together nearly 250 forgotten masterpieces, Modernism Rediscovered pays tribute to these lesser known yet outstanding contributions to the modern architectural movement. It's like sneaking into a private history, into homes that have rarely been seen and hardly appreciated as of yet.

About the photographer
A resident of Los Angeles since 1920, Julius Shulman documented modernist architecture in Southern California and across the globe for nearly eight decades. His images of Pierre Koenig's Case Study House No. 22 (1960) in Los Angeles and Richard J. Neutra's Kaufmann House (1947) in Palm Springs are among the most recognizable and iconic architectural photographs of the 20th century. Shulman's interest in photography developed into a career when he photographed Neutra's Kun Residence in Los Angeles with his Kodak Vestpocket camera in 1936. Neutra admired young Shulman's images and continued to commission his work. Other leading architects of the time followed suit, as did hundreds of magazines, newspapers, and book publishers. Shulman's numerous awards include the Architectural Photography Medal from the American Institute of Architects (1969), a lifetime achievement award from the International Center of Photography in New York (1998), and honorary doctorates from various academic institutions. He died on July 15, 2009 at the age of 98.

Julius Shulman and Benedikt Taschen at the launch of Modernism Rediscovered, 3 Volumes, Beverly Hills, 2007.
Photo: TASCHEN.

"Julius Shulman was one of the greatest photographers and image makers of the the 20th century. Even in a biblical age he was an inspiration for generations of admirers, fans and friends. His house was open for everyone and thousands of pilgrims from all over the world came to see him, the man who created the visual memory of Modernism. He was a generous, kind and caring human being with a memory sharp as the latest generation of computers, recalling every trip he made and every photograph he took. I loved this man and I was blessed to have him as my friend and as a TASCHEN artist." said Benedikt Taschen on the recent death of the photographer.

About the author
Pierluigi Serraino is a practicing architect residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of many books on architecture, including TASCHEN's Modernism Rediscovered. His articles and projects have appeared in magazines and journals such as Architectural Design, ArCA, Global Architecture, Hunch, Costruire, Architettura, ACADIA, and Journal of Architectural Education.

Julius Shulman - Modernism Rediscovered
Peter Gössel (ed.) / Pierluigi Serraino
Hardcover / 2009
Multilingual Edition: English, French, German
24.8 x 31.5 cm (9.8 x 12.4 in.), 416 pages
ISBN: 978-3-8365-0326-6
€ 19.99 / $ 29.99 / £ 17.99

To celebrate Shulman's 97th birthday, TASCHEN published a three volume edition of Modernism Rediscovered in 2007, which comprises more than 400 of Shulman's photographs. The TASCHEN 25 - special edition - is a new abridged version of this three volume edition.

For ordering please contact the Publisher
- TASCHEN - www.taschen.com