Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of

Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of Seduction

As the 1960s became The Sixties, architect Horace Gifford executed a remarkable series of beach houses that transformed the terrain and culture of New Yorkâ€™s Fire Island. Growing up on the beaches of Florida, Gifford forged a deep connection with coastal landscapes. Pairing this sensitivity with jazzy improvisations on modernist themes, he perfected a sustainable modernism in cedar and glass that was as attuned to natural landscapes as to our animal natures. Giffordâ€™s serene 1960s pavilions provided refuge from a hostile world, while his exuberant post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS masterpieces orchestrated bacchanals of liberation. Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift once spurned Hollywood limos for the rustic charm of Fire Islandâ€™s boardwalks. Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffanyâ€™s here. Diane von Furstenburg showed off her latest wrap dresses to an audience that included Halston, Giorgio Santâ€™ Angelo, Calvin Klein and Geoffrey Beene. Today, such a roster evokes the aloof, gated compounds of the Hamptons or Malibu. But these celebrities lived in modestly scaled homes alongside middle-class vacationers, all with equal access to Fire Islandâ€™s natural beauty. Blending cultural and architectural history, Fire Island Modernist ponders a fascinating era through an overlooked architect whose life, work and colorful milieu trace the operatic arc of a lost generation, and still resonate with artistic and historical import.
Country USA
Brand Thames & Hudson
Manufacturer Metropolis Books/Gordon de Vries Studio
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 240 illustrations, 140 in colour
ReleaseDate 2013-05-30
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781938922091

Country	USA
Brand	Thames & Hudson
Manufacturer	Metropolis Books/Gordon de Vries Studio
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	240 illustrations, 140 in colour
ReleaseDate	2013-05-30
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781938922091

Fire Island Modernist: Horace Gifford and the Architecture of Seduction

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