Archinect - News

Paul Revere Williams archive acquired by USC School of Architecture and Getty Research Institute

2020-06-30T10:38:00-04:00

The architectural archives of prolific 20th century architect Paul Revere Williams, long thought to have been lost to fire during the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising, have been jointly acquired by the University of Southern California School of Architecture and the Getty Research Institute (GRI).

Rather than being lost, however, according to an announcement published by the Getty Research Institute, the archive had been "meticulously cared for by Karen Elyse Hudson, Williams’ granddaughter, who has published extensively on his work."

Hudson explains in the statement that "Paul Williams led by example and instilled in his children and grandchildren the importance of excellence, an attention to detail, and above all, family. The collaboration of two such esteemed institutions, the University of Southern California (USC) and Getty Research Institute (GRI), to preserve and further his legacy, would make our grandfather extremely proud.” She adds that “as the family historian, my journey has b...

Syracuse University's Lawrence Chua named among 34 Getty Scholar grantees

2020-06-08T18:16:00-04:00

Lawrence Chua, an assistant professor at the Syracuse University School of Architecture, has been awarded a 2020-21 Getty Scholar Grant from the Getty Research Institute (GRI) to study "transregional histories of utopia and the architecture and urban culture of southeast Asia."

According to the Syracuse University News, this year's research cohort is focused on pursuing investigations that seek to deepen scholarly efforts around the topic of "the fragment" and are set to focus on objects of study that remain in less-than-whole forms. The research also considers intact art and cultural objects as "fragments" of the larger cultures that generated these items. The Syracuse website states, "Incoming Getty Scholars are invited to address both the creation and reception of fragments, their mutability and mobility, and their valuation and consequence throughout history."

Previously on Archinect: "Lebbeus Woods drawing collections are acquired by the Getty Research Institute."Selection from...

Lebbeus Woods drawing collections are acquired by the Getty Research Institute

2020-01-17T16:09:00-05:00

The Getty Research Institute (GRI) in Los Angeles has acquired two collections of drawings and sketches by visionary architect Lebbeus Woods.

Woods passed away in 2012 after a long career as a radical, inventive architectural designer who created thousands of fantastical visions for foreboding futuristic architectures. The GRI has acquired 46 drawings from Woods's A-City and 4 Cities and Beyond projects. The two speculative works offer beguiling pen and ink as well as color pencil visions for futuristic settlements that appear idyllic and tragic all at once.

Selection from the Los Angeles sketchbook, Lebbeus Woods, 1986–1988. Getty Research Institute, 2018.M.25. Gift of The Woods Edge Partnership. © Estate of Lebbeus Woods

Woods was born in Lansing, Michigan and worked at Eero Saarinen and Associates under Kevin Roche before launching his own independent, speculative practice in the 1970s. Woods also taught around the world, including at the Cooper Union in New York City. Woods's p...