Lorenzo Ciccarelli

Renzo Piano, by Lorenzo Ciccarelli, is both an attractive coffee table book as well as a deeply researched assessment of Piano's career. Don't let the quality of either one keep you from appreciating both aspects.

What came through for me was the way that architecture is very much a collaborative and community art form. Even when one person's vision is dominant, it still requires the input from other principals as well as the work of other craftspeople. I found Ciccarelli's decision to use a few of Piano's commissions to highlight the stages/phases of his career to be very useful. It can be distracting, when looking back at long illustrious careers, when every work is given space. This approach allows a deeper dive into a few key projects which emphasize the different periods of his work.

This will also be a nostalgic book for those who have visited some of these buildings. It took me back to the first time I saw the Pompidou Centre, I was visiting friends and we were going to see the Dali exhibit (1979, I think). The building was still fairly new and while I didn't know about the construction my friend was as excited to show me the building as he was to take in the exhibit. That was my introduction to Piano and the Rogers'.

Highly recommended for those with an interest in architecture as well as architectural/art history. As I mentioned, this is also a very attractive coffee table book that just happens to also reward a close reading.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)