"Wright and New York" by Anthony Alofsin, FAIA
We are pleased to share the recording of this talk, originally broadcasted on October 27th, 2020, as part of the Westcott Lecture Series, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more about our programs at www.westcotthouse.org/programs
Frank Lloyd Wright denounced New York as an “unlivable prison,” but in the 1920s the city gave him a refuge from personal and creative troubles, provided key clients and commissions, and helped him to resurrect a foundering career. The massive, sprawling metropolis unlocked new creative energies and later served as a foil for Wright’s work in the desert and in promoting “organic architecture.” And at the end of his life, Wright spent his final years at the Plaza Hotel working on the Guggenheim.
Prize-winning author Anthony Alofsin discusses how he discovered Wright’s complex relationship to New York City with foundational research in the recently opened Wright archives at Columbia University and the Museum of Modern Art.
Award-winning architect, author, exhibition curator, and teacher, Dr. Anthony Alofsin, FAIA, is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and as an expert on the history of architecture. He is the author or editor of 15 books and has written over 80 articles, essays, reviews, and other publications. Alofsin recently retired from his position as the Roland Gommel Roessner Centennial Professor of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin.
Westcott Lecture Series program was made possible by a CARES Act grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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