Synopses & Reviews
Living with good design-modernists have proposed since the beginning of the last century-is a way of improving and enriching life. In this exceptional book, readers are invited to enjoy the experience of living with great modern design and to learn the basic tenets of the modernist aesthetic. Modernists Michael and Gabrielle Boyd have created the ultimate modernist experience-restoring Oscar Neimeyer's only American house and grounds to the original state; building and living with perhaps the world's preeminent collection of modernist furniture, objects, and books; and learning from the benefits that good design brings forth.In a style evoking Charles and Ray Eames's filmic approaches, the book shows off some of the finest 20th-century design, from rarely published examples by Gerrit Rietveld and Eileen Gray to icons of modern furniture by Jean Prouvé and Arne Jacobsen, these are the prime embodiments of the modernist mission to create innovative and beautiful products for a broad audience.From the interplay of the natural environment with architectural features and the rich array of elegant details of the Niemeyer house to the breathtaking design collection, the book will inspire all who love the modernist lifestyle.
Synopsis
Michael Webb is the author of three books for Rizzoli, Art/Invention/House, Brave New Houses, and Modernism Reborn, and many other books and articles on modern architecture and design. He lives on Los Angeles. Tim Street-Porter is an award-winning architectural photographer, whose books include Los Angeles, Casa Mexicana, and The Tropical House. He lives in Los Angeles.
About the Author
“The Boyd Collection is one of the most comprehensive and important 20th century modernist furniture collections in private hands today. Although the individual pieces are museum-worthy, the Boyds have committed to living with the entire collection, inspired by the revolutionary spirit of modernism and its credo that good design can engender beautiful living. The collection is dazzlingly displayed in a mid-century California masterpiece designed by Brazilian modern Oscar Niemeyer, his only North American residential design.” ~
Rosewood
“The Modernist paradise in question is the Boyd Collection, a mother lode of twentieth-century furniture housed in Oscar Niemeyer’s only North American residence… The book is a lush, glossy tribute to the museum-quality collection, which also includes historic paintings, posters, books, and household accessories.” ~Metropolis
“The word collector takes on new meaning with Michael and Gabrielle Boyd. Together, the two have amassed thousands of pieces of 20th-century furniture, objects and abstract art. In Modernist Paradise (Rizzoli), the two take on the ultimate project: restoring Brazilian architect Oscar Niermeyer’s only American house and grounds to their original design. Photographed by Tim Street-Porter and written by Michael Webb, the book provides the ultimate fix for any 20th-century furniture fetishist.” ~Riviera
“This attractive book tells a rich story… Tim Street-Porter’s photographs capture modern milestones by Marcel Breuer, Josef Hoffman, Arne Jacobsen, Finn Jule, Adolf Loos, George Nelson, Jean Prouve, Gerrit Rietveld, and Otto Wagner as well as Niemeyer himself…” ~Interior Design