Eero Saarinen: An Architecture of Multiplicity

Eero Saarinen now stands as one of the great masters of twentieth-century American architecture. It was not always so. A lightning rod for controversy, Saarinen languished in critical purgatory for decades after his untimely death in 1961. As the son of the revered Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, he fought an uphill battle to establish his own credible voice in the architectural profession. Jealous colleagues and a dogmatic press dismissed him as a showman. Eero Saarinen:

An Architecture of Multiplicity finally corrects this slight of history. The first critical evaluation of the architect's work in more than twenty years, this landmark publication revives one of the most daring and successful careers in the history of modern design.Fusing expressive form, technical innovation, and functional requirement, Saarinen created a diverse body of works that invariably pleased his clients and the public at large, if not the architectural critics of the day. During his brief career, Saarinen designed such beloved landmarks as the TWA Terminal at New York's Kennedy Airport, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C. His furniture designs for the Knoll company, including his Tulip and Womb chairs, remain favorites the world over.and lunctionel requirement, Saarinen created a diverse body of works that invariably pleased his clients and the public at large, if not the architectural critics of the day. During his brief career, Saarinen designed such beloved landmarks as the TWA Terminal at New York's Kennedy Airport, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, and Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C. His furniture designs for the Knoll company, including his Tulip and Womb chairs, remain favorites the world over. Commissions for CBS, General Motors, IBM, and John Deere helped invent the idea of a modern corporate culture, while his designs for educational institutions, including Yale, Penn, and MIT, fostered a humanistic life of the mind at campuses across the nation. As the architect of embassies in London and Oslo, Saarinen helped establish a forward-looking image of American democracy; in Australia, his leadership proved essential in the bold decision to build Sydney's spectacular opera house.

With this groundbreaking and lavishly illustrated monograph, historian Antonio Román sheds new light on Saarinen's most important works and argues convincingly for his relevance as a pivotal figure in the history of American architecture.